Prologue -

She was being dragged.

Ruby Rose was aware of this fact and only this fact. At least for a few feet. It was then that the pain began to assault her nerves, causing her to tighten her eyes and able to do nothing else. Her throat was parched and her muscles were clenched. Without trying, Ruby knew she couldn't voice any of the searing pain that erupted along her nerves with every jostle and sway of her body

Blearily, silver eyes tried to open but immediately shut closed when the blinding white filled her vision. When she tried to open them again, her eyes could only take in the blinding sun filtered through the branches of trees as large as a building before her silver orbs shut themselves against the light again. Though in pain she'd never felt before in all her years of fighting and training, the swaying gently rocked Ruby to sleep.

She wasn't moving the next time she opened her eyes.

It took a few seconds to adjust to the soft light of the broken moon to the pitch black darkness behind her eyelids. The trees reflected the moon's light, giving her almost nothing to work with besides 'woods'. She was alone, not hearing anything that would suggest that anyone was near her.

The moment she tried to move, the full ache that had been on the precipice if pain had immediately become mind numbing pain. Ruby was aware of every slash, gash, gouge, scrape, bite, and bruise that covered nearly every inch of her body. The slash across her leg that was so close to her Achilles heel; the bite that tore at her shoulder; the long gashes that spread gash down her back, close together like claws; all marks of the Grimm.

Ruby struggled to move harder than before, her frantic mind in pain and panic. She could barely remember the dozens of piles of Grimm she'd left in her wake. She could barely remember the dozens upon dozens of Grimm that surrounded her afterwards. Remembering the Grimm made Ruby remember Crescent Rose, her sniper/scythe she had built a few years prior at Signal Academy, under the supervision of her Uncle Qrow.

Ruby tried to turn to move, desperately searching for her sweetheart. Crescent Rose was more than just a weapon; the scythe was an extension of herself. Ruby couldn't lose it. Not after everything that had happened.

A flash of red in the corner of her eye made muscles scream, plead, fired Ruby to stop moving. But the only thing Ruby's mind could focus on was Crescent Rose. Even as her muscles stretched and she reopened the slightly healing wounds, spilling her blood onto the cold, hard ground, she still moved.

Crescent Rose was unfurled, glinting in the moonlight in all its deadly glory. Though Ruby still considered the scythe to be the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, she could also see the wear her fight against the Grimm had caused the weapon. Her blade was broken, in jagged pieces despite being infused with as much Dust legally allowed for a minor and student and sharpened to its fullest extent. Pieces of Crescent Rose's shaft were gone, most likely shaken loose when Ruby had used it to block too many times. Crescent Rose's scope was gone, though Ruby had no idea how.

Her most prized possession, somehow with her. She tried to reach for it, crying out in frustration and pain as the blood her body cherished poured out onto the cold ground below. The wind blew by gently, swaying her hand as her muscles gave out and her mind shut down.

Ruby Rose's arm gave out, her fingers just shy of the shaft, black smoke rising from her open wounds.

Snow.

Ruby opened her eyes to snow as she was dragged through the woods by her hood. The underbrush tore at her already torn clothing, tearing at the seams as if trying to keep her with the blackened trees that looked dead and burned. Her leg was numb, the snow burning and cooling her wound at the same time.

Her fingertips dragged lightly against the snow. Her hands were scraped and rubbed raw. Her palms left a light trail of blood in the white snow. Did something happen to reopen her wounds?

The dragging continued despite Ruby's weak attempts to move. Her arms were made of led, stiff and unmoving even when Ruby tried with all her minuscule remaining strength. Her head lolled to the side, feeling sleep creeping in on the edges of her consciousness.

She nearly giggled at the hallucination in front of her, delirium and fear making sleep come closer as she overworked her mind: A Beowulf was carrying Crescent Rose right next to Ruby.

Ruby realized she was choking before she managed open her eyes.

She was submerged in darkness, the last bit of light she could see was slightly above her. Through the murky pitch black depths she was drowning in, she could see a Grimm, standing above the entrance of the dark. Its vibrant red eyes and her silver ones met for a single moment before the monster turned and left her to drown.

The burning pain in her muscles and her lack of air was the only deterrent Ruby had against trying to swim out of the surface. Her wounds opened when she first panicked, blood leaking into the surrounding dark. The water pulled at her limbs, forcing them down deeper. Forcing her to the bottom. Oh, how Ruby wished for Crescent Rose, or better yet, her sister Yang.

Then, first the first time since waking up to find herself being dragged, she remembered: Yang didn't want her.

And neither did Beacon.