Soooooooooo….this is my first fanfiction. To be quite honest, I'm rather nervous about attempting to write one, but I figured that it would be good practice for writing. Depending on how well received this is on the first few chapters, I may continue writing this. If not, oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Anyway, let the story begin!

It was supposed to be a simple investigation. An investigation in which there would be minimal danger. The danger expectancy was so small that all that was believed to be needed were two first-year students. Unfortunately, no one could have anticipated what would happen on that ill-fated mission. No one could have believed that it would have gone so wrong.

Ozpin had expected to have a normal, relaxing day when he awoke from his slumber this morning. The Sunday sky was a beautiful and vivid shade of blue, the air was full of the lingering and pleasant smell of dew developed overnight, and the birds sang their captivating chorus that intensified the relaxing atmosphere. It was a morning in which Ozpin had planned to spend doing paperwork in his office, sipping coffee out of his trademark mug, and offering students advice and consolation if they needed it. As Ozpin completed his morning rituals, he began to finish paper work pertaining to the missions he would often send his students on. Ozpin had always adamantly believed that experience was the best teacher. Classwork and simulations could only take a student so far. If you could not utilize what you have learned in a real-life situation, than no amount of schoolwork could shape you into a respectable hunter. As a way to give the students the hands-on experience they needed, to offer protection to the people in need, and a way to earn funding for the school, he would assign his students missions requested by clients throughout Vytal.

There was one thing that Ozpin had always treasured in this world above all else, and that was the safety and well-being of his students. However, due to the nature of the lessons taught to the young men and women who attend Beacon Academy, there were bound to be times in which safety and security were luxuries that they could not afford. Such is the life of a huntsman and huntress, individuals who have dedicated their lives to hunting and eradicating the evil that plagues the world known as Grim. Ozpin accepted this, and he expected his students to accept it as well. However, this did not stop Ozpin from at least reducing the amount of risks his students take. Although he was slightly harsh, he was fair as well. This was evident in how many precautions he would take before he would send a team of students out on a mission.

Students were usually grouped into teams of four after initiation into Beacon was completed. But there were times in which teams were separated to complete more missions than they could as a whole. This was the situation for teams RWBY and JNPR, promising first-year teams that consisting of talented and skilled teenagers. Both teams were well-known and well respected in Beacon. This is mostly due to the astonishing results of their initiation. Both teams had encountered two gargantuan and high-level Grim during their initiation; a Nevermore and a Deathstalker. Nevermore were gigantic Grim akin to ravens, and Deathstalkers were large scorpion-like Grim. Both types of Grim were so dangerous that even the most experienced of hunters have difficulties killing them. However, as inexperienced as the two teams were, they showed skill and teamwork well beyond their years and destroyed both of the destructive monsters. This was mostly due to the strategy and leadership of the leaders of each team, Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc.

Ozpin thought highly of the two young hunters in training. Ruby is the youngest student Beacon has ever accepted in its history. Although she is slightly immature, she shows great promise as a huntress and as a leader. Ozpin had even recruited her personally after seeing her attempt to stop a robbery by the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick. Jaune Arc was an interesting individual as well. Despite sneaking his way into Beacon with fake manuscripts and not receiving the proper training required to graduate, much less enter, Beacon, he proved to be a superb strategist and had improved considerably as a student.

As Ozpin contemplated the two students, his thought had come to an abrupt halt as his eyes caught a manila folder lying on the far top left corner of his desk. The collection of papers inside the folder were detailed reports detailing a mission he had yet to assign anyone. Truth be told, he would had preferred that he not send anyone on the dangerous assignment. The danger surrounding the mission was abnormally high, but it was of the utmost importance. Disregarding it would be highly irresponsible on his part. As he fretted over the difficult subject occupying his thoughts, his thoughts once again had reverted back to the subject of Ruby and Jaune. Perhaps they were the solution to his problem.

With much consideration, Ozpin had selected the two students for this assignment, due to the rest of their respective teammates being sent away on their own assignments. Ruby easily possessed enough skill to combat a threat should it be so unlucky to cross her path, and while Jaune was not as much of a skilled fighter as Ruby, he certainly compensated for his weaknesses with his cunning and wit. Ozpin believed they would be more than enough for this assignment.

(Team JNPR's Dorm)

To put it simply, Jaune was extremely bored. He was currently laying face-down on his bunk bed without anything to do. After completing all of his classwork and training, he casually crashed on top of his sheets, not at all caring that he had messed up the sheets. Usually, there was always something for the leader of JNPR to do. But today was one of the days that he was alone in the room he shared with his teammates. Due to recent increase in Grim activity, Beacon's teams had begun accepting more missions, but there was only so much a single unit could accomplish. This led to teams being divided temporarily in order to complete more assignments, as long as the headmaster believed it to be easy enough for one or two students to complete. However, Jaune was currently the only one in his team that had not been given an assignment yet.

Without his teammates, Jaune was beginning to realize how lonely the four-man room was. Without his teammates to socialize with, the room was uncomfortably silent and lifeless. On days like these, he would be studying for classes and training with his partner, Pyrrha Nikos, but she wasn't scheduled to return for the next few days. Even his other two teammates, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, were sent on a mission with one another and were scheduled to return a day later then Pyrrha. So what would he do for the next few days? He needed to do something to occupy his time. If he didn't get an assignment or think of someone to spend the day with, he was going to die of boredom!

As if to answering his prayers, there was a light, but rapid, knocking on his door.

"Coming!" Jaune had all but shouted too eagerly. Finally, thank Dust! If he was to die, he certainly didn't want to die in such a humiliating manner.

After bouncing to the door in joy, he opened the door to greet, and maybe thank, the person who had rescued him from a boring weekend. He was greeted with the sight of his close friend, Ruby.

"Hiya Jaune!" Ruby greeted with an energetic wave, to which Jaune reciprocated with his trademark grin.

"Of course! How could I have forgotten about Ruby! Her team was gone too!" Jaune thought as he mentally reprimanded himself.

Ruby and Jaune had been each other's first friends upon entering Beacon. Despite Jaune not making the best presentation of himself, which involved him puking on Ruby's sister's boots, and Ruby presenting herself to be a slight klutz, the two had become fast friends. And although the two had ended up being assigned to different teams, they still found plenty of time to spend with one another, especially since teams RWBY and JNPR often hung out with each other anyway. If Ruby and Jaune were not attending to their leadership duties or class work, they were often seen doing entertaining activities with one another, activities such as sparring matches, board games, movies, and video games. This led the rest of their teams believing them to be an item, an assumption Ruby and Jaune would adamantly deny with stuttering voices and red tinting their cheeks.

"Hey Ruby. I'm glad you showed up."Jaune greeted while he leaned on the door.

"Really, why's that?" She questioned while tilting her head to the right, a quirk of hers Jaune had noticed whenever she was curious.

"Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren left yesterday, so I've been kind of lonely today."

"Wow, I can't imagine how quiet it must get without Nora around."

It was true. Out of their group of friends, Nora was the most wild, loud, and insane, but no day was boring if Nora had anything to say about it. Most of her shenanigans would involve pranking team CRDL, a team full of bullies that had caused problems for Jaune many times. Sometimes, she would sneak into team CRDL's dorm and booby-trap their room when they were asleep. The most famous prank involved a mouse traps, super glue, and each of their crotches.

"So do you wanna come inside? We could play the Xbox again. I want a rematch from last weekend!"

Through a fit of giggles she tried to suppress with her fist, Ruby replied, "As much as I would like to hand you your ass again in Halo, I didn't come to play. Professor Ozpin messaged us to meet in his office."

"Really? What for?"

"Well, since all of our teammates are gone, I would guess we have a mission." Ruby deduced.

"Alright, just let me go get my sword and shield, and then we can go." Jaune said as he turned to retrieve his weapons from under the bed. He always felt more secure sleeping within the vicinity of his weapons.

"Don't you mean your heirlooms?" She teased with a smirk.

So Ruby wanted to play that game huh? Challenge accepted!

"At least it's not farming equipment!"

All Jaune heard as a comeback was the oh-so-familiar click of a sniper rifle. Maybe Jaune had gone a bit far…

"What was that Arc?" She questioned menacingly. Jaune did not dare turn his back and make eye contact.

"Nothing!" whimpered Jaune as he collected his stuff more quickly as to not enrage Ruby further. If there was one thing you did not do around Ruby, it was speak of her beloved scythe, Crescent Rose, in a derogatory manner. EVER.

(Ozpin's Office)

While Ozpin was reviewing the report, just in case he had missed something, he was interrupted by a light and gentle knocking. No doubt it was Ruby and Jaune.

"Enter." He gently commanded.

As the two students entered the headmaster's office, they couldn't help but notice the abnormally large collections of paperwork on his desk. They had known about the increasing activity of Grim recently, but judging from the amount of paperwork collected on the professor's desk, it may have been worse than they originally thought.

"Good morning Mr. Arc and Ms. Rose." He greeted politely.

"Good morning sir." They reciprocated the same pleasantries.

"I assume you know why I sent for you." He said as he was pouring himself a glass of coffee.

"Do you have a mission for us, sir?" Ruby questioned, once again tilting her head to the right.

"Precisely. Although, I must admit, I was quite hesitant to assign you this mission. Even if it is a simple investigation." After Ozpin finished pouring his coffee, he offered the two students a cup. An offer they both politely declined. Ruby often tried to avoid caffeine out of fear that it would stunt her growth. No one but her sister and Jaune knew, but she was rather self-conscious about her height. Jaune simply did not want to put anything in his stomach. If one thing was certain, if he was assigned a mission, then he would most definitely be riding the airship to wherever he was sent. He would certainly suffer motion sickness again.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Jaune questioned

Ozpin exhaled a large and heavy sigh before reaching into a shelf in his desk. After locating what he sought, he presented them with the manila folder containing the report. It was fairly thick, as proven by the loud thump it made as it made contact with the desk as Ozpin dropped it in front of them.

"Two days ago, I received information from Professor Goodwitch pertaining to a village that is currently in a state of panic and paranoia. The village has been recently attacked by Beowolves. The attack on the village consisted of approximately ten Beowolves, not enough to pose an immense danger to a hunter, but definitely to a small town with little offensive capabilities. Twenty-nine people were injured, sixteen people are missing and believed to be dead, and ten people were confirmed dead with mutilated and half eaten corpses as evidence."

Although they had found the report to be slightly morbid, they did not quite understand Ozpin's great concern for their well-being. They were more than enough to handle a few Beowolves. Had they done something to place doubt in his mind concerning their abilities?

" How did only ten Beowolves manage to do so much damage?" Jaune questioned

Beowolves were currently the weakest type of Grim discovered. In small numbers, they were enemies even normal militiamen could eliminate. It was true that their danger lied in their numbers, but it was very peculiar that such a small group could decimate a village to the extent that Ozpin had described.

Setting aside his coffee, he delivered his answer with the utmost seriousness, "These were not your average Beowolves."

With their curiosity aroused, the two first-years went silent so that Ozpin could continue.

"Tell me, what separates humanity from the Grim besides the Grim lacking a soul?" Ozpin riddled.

Ruby and Jaune could only glance at each other in confusion, wondering if the other had an answer. Ruby had looked absolutely clueless, but as she observed Jaune, she noticed that he began to stare blankly into space. This was something he would do often when formulating a solution or comprising an answer. With a sudden flash of satisfaction etched on his face, he faced Ozpin again.

"They can't reason. They act purely on instinct like animals. So as a result, they can't strategize."

Ozpin could not help but smile at his student's insightful answer. "Precisely Mr. Arc, the Grim, especially Beowolves, are notorious for their simple-minded offensive tactics. But these Beowolves demonstrated strategy and intelligence never seen from a Grim before. This leads me to two possible conclusions. One: They are an evolved species, and two: They are being controlled."

Ozpin ascended from his chair after finishing, walking towards the two students with unparalleled grace. To Ruby's and Jaune's surprise, he placed a gentle but firm grip on each of their shoulders while establishing direct eye contact with both of them.

"To be quite honest, I don't feel comfortable sending even two of my students into a situation I know so little about. There are still many blanks that I cannot fill without more information. But I believe in both of you."

To say that Ruby and Jaune were flattered was a gross understatement. They held great respect for the headmaster. He was one of Ruby's personal role models, and Jaune had aspired to live up to the huntsman's example whenever he possibly could. To receive such a generous compliment from him was immensely delighting.

"But I need to make something abundantly clear." His grip tightened as the tone of his voice deepened. He had shifted from a passive and calm teacher to a no-nonsense commander with a glare that commanded nothing but complete obedience, an action that had greatly unsettled Ruby and Jaune "If you believe that you are in a level of danger you cannot handle yourself, even for a second, you let me know immediately. I do not want any unnecessary heroics from either of you. Do you understand?"

Desiring nothing more than to gain distance from the intimidating beast that had replaced their headmaster; they enthusiastically gave the best typical army salute they could perform.

"Yes sir!" They shouted with looks with pure terror plain on their face.

And as quick as it arrived, the predatory animal had vanished and was replaced with the comforting teacher they were accustomed to, much to their relief.

"Excellent" he acknowledged with a smile as he released their slightly irritated shoulders. "Now then, any questions, comments, or concerns?"

"Yes, when do we start?" Ruby asked with a grin of excitement growing on the side of her mouth.

The feeling of excitement was not mutual, as Jaune had been admittedly intimidated by the report. If there was one thing Jaune had admired about his friend, it was her unparalleled courage, a quality Jaune felt that he sorely lacked. She was always ready to charge the next challenge head on with no hesitation. Maybe one day, he would grow to be as fearless as her, and not scream like the fairer sex when approached by an intimidating enemy.

With pride in his smile while gently placing the manila folder in Ruby's long and slender arms, Ozpin calmly replied, "Immediately."

Whelp, that's it for now. The next chapter is where I write the action scene, so thanks for reading! Read and Review! Your opinions would be greatly appreciated.