Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY and other stuffs.
AN: Not going to be full story as of yet, ideas are welcomed.
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Summer awoke abruptly with a start and a pair of silver eyes snapped open to take in her surroundings.
Her mind was a hazy mess but she was surprised to find only darkness all around her. She blink blearily for a minute or two before her eyes adjusted to the dark and all her eyes could pick up was a rocky ceiling. Feeling confused, she dart her eyes around to properly take in just where she is.
'A cave?' She thought in confusion as she register the rocky walls that surround her. Her nose twitched as she realized that the air around her was warm and filled with a sweet aroma. Her hand twitched and she heard a rustling sound coming from her hand, dried leaves she presumed. She seem to be playing in a pile of them as she could feel the leaves with her entire body.
Her groggy mind supplied her with the fact that she had no idea how she ended up here and laying on a pile of leaves, nor does she know just where here is. She could feel the familiar sense of panic rising in her chest but she easily squashed it through plenty of practice and regained her composure instantly as the cogs in her mind started to spin for ideas to escape if necessary. This wasn't the first time she got into situations outside of her comfort zone after all, and she'd gotten into worst and stranger situations than waking up in oddly sweet and dark caves.
But somehow, it was very hard for her to think for some reason and her mind kept straying away and preventing her from coming up with anything useful. Everything was all a blur for her when she tried to think of how she managed to end up here. She's also feel a bit light headed now that she thought about it.
Seeing that there's nothing around her that could otherwise be an immediate threat for now, she decided to at least got into a better position where she could move more freely. Laying on the ground would only limit her options in evading attacks if they come flying at her. She quickly sprung upwards from where she was laying into a sitting position and immediately regretted it.
"Gah-" She grunted out and winched as pain flared in multiple parts of her body. She was hurting all over, most likely wounds that caused her to faint in the first place and the most painful one seem to come from her right side. It was like someone stabbed her there and quite deeply too if the amount of pain she felt was any indication. She took a shaky breath and stop herself from moving too much to aggravate her wounds even further.
Pain was something she'd grown used to throughout her Huntress career with how often she gets hit on the job. The wounds may hinder her a bit but she never let it stop her from getting things done.
Summer quickly gave her surrounding area one more look to ensure if she's really alone before she gave herself a once over. The first thing that she noticed was that her signature white cloak was nowhere to be seen so that leaves her with black blouse and skirt that had plenty of dirt and grime stuck on it. Her boots weren't on her as well but she quickly found them placed nearly on the side of the pile of leaves that serves as a makeshift bed.
What's more worrying is that her weapons is also nowhere in sight. So she had been disarmed as well as injured. Hmm, it might be problematic but she should be able to manage well enough if she could get her hands on something to use.
The next thing that she noticed was more alarming. The right side of her blouse had a large, slit like hole in it and the area was soaked in blood. Well, now she's very certain that someone had stabbed her there.
She slowly reach her hand towards her edge of her blouse and tenderly lifted it upwards to check the extent of her wound. Her aura should have at least close the wound by now so she shouldn't worry about seeing a gaping hole on her side. Seeing the lack of blood leaking out of the hole on her side at the moment surely reaffirmed that thought.
To her surprise, when she lifted her blouse she didn't see a fresh patch of skin nor a still opened hole on her side but bandages.
Crudely and clumsily wrapped bandages on her side that was stained red from her blood.
Someone had brought her here and tried to heal her, that much for certain. The bandaging were done badly, wrapped in a way that it would barely stop the bleeding if the patch of redden leaves she was laying on was anything to go by and it also explained the lightheadedness. She lost a lot of blood already.
But at least the bandages helped her somewhat by stopping her from bleeding out long enough for her aura to close the wound. So whoever brought her here wanted to help...or they wanted her alive. Summer is leaning towards the former though; because if they really do wanted her alive, they'd at least do a better job with the first aid.
She let her blouse drop, Summer wondered just who applied her bandages as her eyes scan the area once more to find any signs of the person who brought her here.
There seem to be drawings on the walls all around her and she wanted to use her Scroll for lighting but realized that she doesn't have it either. And so, she had to peer closer to actually make out any of it. They seem to be drawings made by a kid judging by how childish and badly drawn the pictures are. She also realized that the cave she's in was quite small and not far from where she's laying, she could see a small entrance with faint light protruding from it, indicating that it's an exit.
There seem to be all sorts of trinkets placed neatly to the side, arranged in a manner like a collector would to show off their collections. Said trinkets seem to be things commonly could in a forest and there's also some toys and a doll as well.
The cave might have enough space to squeeze in at least two or three adults but they'd have to crouch down because the ceiling is quite low unless they're her. She has a small structure and she only needed to lean in a bit to avoid hitting the ceiling.
….
Did she just admitted to herself that she's short?
Shaking her head to get rid of that sad thought, Summer wondered why this cave give her the feeling that she's inside a child's room. She could only assume that this cave had kids frequently visiting it and they made it their base of some sort.
Summer decided to focus on how she ended up here instead. 'Alright, think back. What was the last thing you remember.' She thought to herself as she furrow her eyebrow in concentration. She try to summon her memories from before she fainted but no matter how hard she tried, her mind remained a hazy maze for her to navigate through.
She can get snippets of what she did here and there but the rest is still muddled. She thinks, no, she's certain that she was fighting against someone if the blade wound is anything to go by. Who was she fighting and how the fight went still eludes her but if she was knocked out by her attacker then she should at least be dead, tied up, or locked in some cage or cell. The only thing she could think of was that someone saved her and drove her attacker off. Then they brought her here either to hide from the attackers or because this is the closest place in the area to safely dress her wounds. Following that, they attempt to save her with little to none skill in first aid.
The really hope whoever it was, it wasn't a male. She's thankful for their aid but to apply the bandages means they would at least need to take her top off and that's something she'd rather not imagine what it's like. She'd forgive him for touching her without permission because he needed to in order to bandage her but if he did anything more than that then savior or not, he's going to get kneed in the testicles. Besides, she's married to a great husband and if Taiyang ever found out that someone touched her, he'd most likely go on a warpath to beat him up for her.
Summer's head snapped towards the entrance when she thought she had heard something coming from over there. She waited as silently as she could, keeping her breathing slow and steady. Her finger twitched when she heard the sound again and this time, it seem to be getting closer and closer, creating faint echos that seem to be getting louder with each passing second.
It sounded like footsteps.
Her eyes narrowed and her body tensed as she waits for whoever it was to arrive. Her muddled mind trying it's best to think of the possible outcomes of the meeting with her savior but it only serve to give her a slight headache for her efforts. She put her fingers on her temples to massage them to sooth the pain away. When the aching finally subdued to a more bearable state, she put her hand down only to be greeted by surprise by what she saw in front of her.
There was a silhouette of a little girl walking into the cave from the entrance, carrying what seem to be a small basket in her arms.
"Huh?" Summer let out in confusion, not really expecting to see a small child of all things to arrive.
"Ah!" She heard the child cried out in surprise, most likely because of the sound she made, and dropped the basket she was holding. Summer watch as the basket seem to fall to the floor in slow motion, her eyes tracking it as it slowly descend with a dramatic twirl before it smack against the ground.
The contains of the basket tumbled out and rolled towards her, revealing to be an assorted collection of fruits and berries. The fruits rolled to a halt a few feet in front of the little girl as she let out a soft 'eep' at the mess that was made and Summer couldn't help but feel guilty that it was somewhat her fault. But when the little girl finally noticed that Summer was up and about, she chose to ignore the fallen fruits in favor of darting over towards her in panic.
"You're awake! No, wait. You should've be moving around yet!" The little girl cried out worriedly and Summer winched at the volume of her voice as she stopped beside her. The girl seem to notice how loud she was being because of it and place slap both her hands over her mouth. "Sorry." She whispers quietly before she shook her head and gave her a sharp stare. "You should stay in bed until you're feeling better. You got hurt badly and people who are hurt should stay in bed and rest." The little girl chided with a wave of her finger before she cross her arms in front of her, seemingly emitting an aura of displeasure at Summer's attempt to get up from the makeshift bed.
The older woman could only feel amused at the fact that a little girl is scolding her for recklessly moving around like a nurse would to an injured patient.
With her so close now, Summer could make out her features despite the little to no lighting in the cave.
The child was wearing a long, loose red dress that reached her knees with long sleeves long enough to cover her entire hand. Summer couldn't help but think that her dress was a bit too big for her as her collar almost slip down her shoulder and wondered just who chose it for her. There was a leather bag hanging by her side with the strap holding it up resting on her shoulder. The girl's feet dons a pair of black boots that also seem a size too big for her and would most likely slip off her feet if she weren't careful when she's walking.
The child's hair was ashen black and cut short in a blob hairstyle and those displease eyes that were staring at her were bright amber in colour. She also looked a year or two older than Yang.
What's most notable is that the girl is rather dirty as her clothes had multiple mud stains spread across it, especially the end of her sleeves which Summer assume she uses to handle things regardless of the fabric being in the way or not. Her boots and hair were in similar condition and her hair had a twig and leaves sticking out of it, like she had been running around in a forest.
"It's okay, I'm fine really." Summer spoke in order to reassure her and she realized that her throat was quite dry and her voice came out cracked.
The girl seem to noticed it too and quickly reach into her bag to pull out a small metal flask. "Here." She offered hurriedly, sleeve covered hands wrapped securely around the offered item as she handed it towards the older woman.
Summer accepted the flask gratefully with a polite nod, noting that the flask is completely full as she twist the cap open. She gingerly place the lip on her mouth as to prevent spilling even a single drop and tip the flask upwards, letting the liquid inside pour inside her mouth. Soothing relieve graced her sore throat as the thirst that she didn't know she had was quenched.
She sighed happily as her body relaxes. She felt a lot better now that she have some water in her system and the headache seem to subside a bit more. She raise the flask again to take another sip but realized that she had already emptied the flask of it's contains. Feeling disappointed, she let the flask down and that was when she noticed that the child smiling happily at her.
"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better already. Looks like the bandages did the trick after all. I wasn't sure if it'd work at all and it was really hard to wrap it around you. It's just so hard to flip you around on my own just so I can tie it around you." She told her as she took the flask from her hand and place it into her bag.
Summer raise an eyebrow, her mind imagining the scene where she was unconscious and being flop around on her back by a child as she wrap her waist with bandages. She had to admit that the mental image was amusing and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. "You're the one who did this?" Summer asked with a bit of disbelief in her voice as she gesture at the clumsily tied bandages around her waist.
"Of course." The little girl beamed proudly, puffing her chest up in a prideful manner as she smack her little fist on it. "I did a good job right?"
"Yes... yes you did." Summer smiled as she answered, unable to tell her the truth and inevitably make her sad. Thankfully, her aura did most of the healing for her so she probably won't have to worry about getting any infections.
"Say, do you know what happened to me? I can't seem to remember anything at all." Summer asked the girl, her mind still can't piece together what had transpired before that landed her in this cave. She could remember the sounds of metal clashing, shots being fired and vague voices shouting… and there was a roar of some kind? She isn't quite sure. The only one she could ask is the child right now so she might as well. It might help clear up her brain in the process too.
The girl gained a grim look as she frowned. "I dunno what you were doing before but I heard the sound of fighting when I was collecting saps from the trees here. I was curious so I went to check and when I got there, all I saw was you fighting against three bad guys."
"I see..." Summer trailed off as she tries to recall what the girl told her. A sharp pain flare inside her head and she winched. A flash of memory entered her mind, a scene where she stood her ground against three others. Yes, something like that definitely did happen… three men, two humans and one faunus. She remember being ambushed by them when she was sent to investigate the strange activities happening in Forever Fall. But why would they attack her? What's there to gain?
"You were already bleeding very badly and they had you cornered. Dad said, you were poisoned as well but you still manage to push them back."
"I was poisoned!?" Summer questioned as her eyes widen in alarm.
"Ya." The girl nodded. "But don't worry, I already fixed that."
"Really? How?" Summer sighed in relief as she realized that she's not in any mortal danger right now. Enemies who uses poison are a pain to deal with. They're not much of a threat if they don't hit you with their poisoned weapons but you need to be extra cautious when fighting them unless you wanted to get hit by it. Aura can keep the poison from entering the body as long as the weapon doesn't pierce the skin so the poison can enter the blood stream.
The girl just took out a small bottle that looked like it contained some sort of liquid. "Ta-da~" She let out as she held the bottle in front of her. "Anti-poison!"
"Anti-poison? Some kind of antidote?"
The little girl nodded. "Yesh, dad told me to keep it with me just in case I accidentally eat a poison mushroom again." Summer could only raise her eyebrow incredulity at how the little girl just mentioned that fact so casually. "I dunno how it works but dad said it's tha best kind so it works on any kind of poison. But just in case one wasn't enough, I poured two bottles into your mouth while you were sleeping. So if you're feeling very dizzy or have trouble remembering things then this might be the cause." Summer could only sweatdrop in response. "Also, dad really admire how you still managed to hold off against all three of them for so long even when you're weaken and all odds were stacked against you."
"Dad? Your father was there with you?"
"Yes." The girl nodded happily before tilting her head and pursing her lips to the side in thought. "Well, he's not my real dad though. I call him that because he's the one who looks after me now. Well, that and it makes him happy when I call him that. It's funny to watch." The girl informed her with a giggle.
The happy mood that girl had at the mention of her father seem to be infectious because Summer was smiling as well. The way she describe her father made her think of Taiyang and the time when Yang first called him da-da. She really wondered how he and the kids doing right now. Who knows how long she'd been out cold and whether or not they're worrying their heads off about her for not checking in regularly. Hopefully, she can get in contact with them soon.
Now that she thought about it, she probably should have realize that the little girl couldn't have done anything when she was being attacked and carried her to this cave all on her own.
"Your father, did he drive my attackers off?"
"Yep! He's very cool. He just whoosh in and then bam!" The girls' eyes were wide with excitement and practically sparkling as she smack her tiny fist into her palm. "One big explosion and insta victory~" She proclaimed proudly as her hands shot up into the air.
"Really?" Summer let out skeptically. She was one of the best Huntress from her generation but if those three managed to push her into a corner like she heard then they must've been very strong to be able to do so. She found it hard to believe that someone could fight against them and won instantly.
"Well, not really." The girl smile sheepishly as she rub the back of her head. "He knock out one of them with a surprise tackle but the other two ran after picking up their friend."
They retreated after having one of their own downed? It doesn't make any sense at all. Their target is probably her and even if one of their own was out for the count they still have the girl's father outnumbered 2 to 1. So what's stopping them from taking her out while another one kept her father engaged? "Your father, where is he now?" Summer asked.
"He's outside, standing guard just in case those baddies got any ideas and came back."
"Ah...I see. Is it alright if I meet him?"
The girl shook her head.
"Why not?" Summer asked curiously.
"I dunno." She shrugged. "You really scare him for some reason and he doesn't want to get close to you at all but I managed to con-con-con..." The girl seem to be stuck at a certain word in her sentence and thus, kept repeating the syllable in hopes that she would be able to remember what the word is.
"Convince?" Summer offered while thinking how adorable the girl is as well as what she could've done to scare her father so.
"Yes! That's tha word. I made him carry you to safety because he was being a big baby about not wanting to be near you." She nodded her head up and down rapidly before giving her a wary look. "You're not going to hurt my dad are you miss Huntress?"
"Wha- no. Why would I?" Summer uttered out in shock, wondering just why she would think that. She probably owe her father her life for saving her and there's no reason for her to attack him that she could think of.
"Reasons." She simply replied with a shrug. "So, you're really not going to?
"I won't, really." Summer raise both her hands in front of her to show her that she meant no harm to her or her father.
The little girl continued to stare at her for a moment before she nodded and smile in satisfaction. "Okay, you seem like a nice person so I'll believe you. Anyway, are you hungry? I brought you something to eat since you need energy to get better quicker and… uh oh." The girl trailed off as her eyes landed on the basket with it's contents sprawled onto the floor.
"Ah." Summer noticed where she was looking and gained a guilty look on her face. "I'm sorry for startling you just now." She apologized as she scratch her cheek with her finger sheepishly.
"Ah, don't worry. I go wash it for you. There's a river nearby so it won't take long. Just wait for me for a bit okay?" The girl reassured her that it's fine as she went to pick up the fruits and berries on the ground and place them into the basket with haste.
"I'll go with you and help then." Summer offered as she slipped on her boots, thinking that was the least she could do after everything the little girl had done for her. But as she attempts to get on her feet, she was hit with a wave of nausea that cause her to fall back on her rear just as she lifted herself up from the ground. The redhead let out a rather pitiful groan as her body worked against her by making her feel completely uncomfortable and dizzy like the time she was stupid enough to trust Qrow and drank the so called alcohol free punch.
It was not alcohol free.
"No no no. You stay here." The girl turn back to face her and pointed her finger at the leaf bed. "You need to rest right now and I don't need you getting worst."
"Are you sure? We're still in the forest aren't we? There should be plenty of Grimms roaming around." Summer asked worriedly as she tries to recover from the sudden dizziness.
"It's okay. Dad already marked this place as his territory so the other Grimms won't come at all." She told her as she lifted the basket with all the fruits inside. Her words cause Summer pause as she wondered if she had heard wrongly. Marking a territory to keep Grimms away? How? Maybe it's just something that her father said to reassure her that she would be safe. But before Summer could ask ask just what the child had meant by that, the little girl was already leaving for the entrance.
"Little girl, be careful alright?" Summer call out to her while feeling worried for her safety.
The girl spun around and shouted back "I'm not little! I'm already six so I'm a big girl now!" She pouted angrily at Summer as she sent her an adorable glare that reminded her of Yang being angry at her for messing up her hair that one time. "And my name is Cinder so don't you go calling me little girl again okay!?"
Summer just nodded while trying not to giggle at the fuming child for trying to act all mature and Cinder left the cave with a huff. 'She's two years older than Yang then.' Summer idly thought.
With Cinder gone, the cave was once again became enveloped in an eerie silence that just made Summer uncomfortable. Five minutes had passed by just like that with the silver eyed woman sitting on the ground as she kept worrying about whether or not Cinder is okay on her own or if her father had accompanied her. In the end, Summer simply couldn't stay still when her mind kept thinking about the safety of the child and wandering back to her family and wondering just how they're doing. She needed to find some way to contact them and make sure Cinder returned unharmed at the very least.
She got up slowly and steady this time, keeping her hands firmly on the ground as support. When she finally stood up, she needed to lean against the walls to use as a support while she slowly walk towards the entrance.
When she reached it, she was surprised to find that the cave she was in was actually just a small section of really big cavern. A cave within a cave? Caveception?
She looked right and saw that the exit was right there, showing the red-leafed trees and grass of the well known Forever Fall forest but the redness of the place was mostly hidden as the sky is dark, shadowing the place with nightly veil.
Summer was about to walk over there to see if she could find Cinder. It's a stupid thing to do really considering her less than ideal condition and the lack of weaponry in her possession but one can't help but worry about the child when it's so dark out.
She took no more than two steps before she heard the sound of small rocks shifting around and she instantly knew that she wasn't alone in this cave.
She slowly turned around, not wanting to give her body a sudden jerk that would no doubt make her dizzy again to peer behind her.
There was nothing there, just a seemingly endless cave basked in darkness. She can't make out anything at all from where she's at as there's barely any lighting for her to see with. She really wish she have a torchlight or her Scroll right now so she could illuminate the place but alas, she had neither of those so she would have to make do with what she has.
'Could it be Cinder's father? What kind of man would be irresponsible enough to let a child head out into the forest alone at night where Grimms are at their most active state.' Summer thought. She would've felt outraged if Cinder's father was really this negligence but the sudden movement that she saw in the darkness cause her to think differently. Her eyes trailed along with the figure moving in the dark and her body tensed. Whatever it is that just moved, it was huge, easily three times her size or more.
'A Grimm!' Her mind immediately thought of the little girl that helped her worriedly. 'Is Cinder alright!? Did it found her when she was leaving or had she already left before it arrived? What about her father? Hopefully they both managed to get away from this place before the Grimm arrived.'
Her hand automatically went to reach for her weapon by her side but when her hand grabbed nothing but air, she remembered that she had lost it. Cursing her luck, the woman took a step back to slowly put some distance between herself and what's in the cave with her.
Her shuffling only caused her to kick on a rock that just so happen to be behind her feet, sending it flying and landing nosily on the ground. Summer winched when the sound reached her ears and cursed again, knowing that whatever it is that's in the cave would surely have heard that.
Her guess was proven true as the ground started to rumble slightly as she heard something stomping heavily her way.
The redhead decided then and there that whatever it was, she can't take it on the way she is now and quickly make her way outside of the cave to get away from it. Or failing that, get where there was a bit of lighting to make engaging whatever it was more easier when she could see where she's stepping.
She managed to get a few meters outside of the entrance but had to stop running when the nausea returned to greet her like an old friend. 'Not now.' She thought as she planted her hands on top of her knees to keep herself from falling completely as she fought against the bile rising in her throat. 'That's it, fighting enemies that uses poison is officially the worst.'
Her eyes quickly locked on to the entrance of the cave to see if the Grimm had caught up with her yet. Summer gritted her teeth and forcefully push down the bile when she saw something moving out of the shadow.
Two large claws, completely covered in bone white plating emerged from the darkness and Summer immediately knew just what kind of Grimm was in there with her even when the rest of it's body has yet to reveal itself. This kind of Grimm is also known to make their homes in caves and the likes.
'This cave belonged to a Death Stalker!?' Summer exclaimed inside her head as the rest of the Grimm slowly loomed out of the darkness.
Summer could tell from a glance that this one is completely different from the rest of it's kind. The first thing Summer noticed about this particular Death Stalker is that the markings on it's body was not red. Instead, it was a bright blue and it had a strange symbol on it's forehead where a red dot would usually be.
And unlike the rest of it's kind, it's entire body was completely covered in plates. The usual places where Death Stalkers had exposed body parts were covered on this Grimm; like the lower part of the claws and tail, it's legs and it's abdomen. The plates also looked smooth and it didn't have any bone like mounts protruding from it's back like the rest of it's brethren.
To be honest, Summer thought it looked like it was equip with full body armor instead of the bone like plates.
Then there was the stinger, it was glowing it any other Death Stalker's to act as a lure, But instead of the golden stinger that she was so used to seeing, it was the same colour as it's markings. Summer finally noticed that there was something hanging from said blue glowing stinger as well. She looked closely at it and realized that it's was her backpack. That meant that her stuffs should be in there and she could see that her weapon was hanging by the strap on the bag as well.
'Oh bloody hell.' Summer curses, wondering just what the Death Stalker was doing with her stuff. Did Cinder left her things in the cave and the Grimm found it when it entered?
Summer finally decided to look at her enemy in the eye to glare at it but stopped short when she was met with the intelligent gaze of the creature as it studied her attentively. Five pairs of blue eyes met hers as the creature place it's pincers low and near the ground, it's entire body looked utterly relaxed as it studied her.
Summer couldn't help but think that it's trying to show her that it's not hostile but immediately tensed once more as it moved it's tail towards her. Two or three second passed and she realized that the Grimm wasn't making a move to attack as she would've been struck by it's stinger already. Instead, it just slowly lower it's stinger along with her bag towards her and stopped, it's tail hanging a few meters from her and her bag was just within arm's reach.
The large creature would've been intimidating for the woman but the intimidating factor of the Grimm is severely diminished by the black top hat it's wearing on top of it's head as well as a classy looking monocle placed on one of it's lower eye near it's mouth.
How on Remnant did she not noticed those before!?
Summer just blinked.
The Death Stalker blinked as well and adjusted the monocle on it's eye.
They both stared at each other for a while in awkward silence as the bag hang between them.
Summer hesitantly reach out her hands and took her bag from it before looking at it with suspicion and confusion.
The Death Stalker just tipped it's hat in greeting with it's pincer.
The only words appropriate enough to describe how she felt about the entire thing can easily be sum up in three simple words that Qrow would often use when he encountered something entirely out of his depths or when his mental facility just couldn't handled what it's seeing and just supplied those three words for him.
"What the fuck?"