Authors Note: Hello my Dark Readers and welcome to "Derelicts in Black: RBTR's Grim Tales".
I hope you enjoy this story in the spirit of Mother's Day.
Well then that's all I have to say, feel free to tell me what you guys think. Well then get ready because it's time to begin the short story.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY; all rights go to the Legendary Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not also own any of the music that will be shown in the story.
P.S.: RWBY Chibi is actually adorable. I recommend checking it out.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY; all rights go to the Legendary Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not also own any of the music that will be shown in the story.
Short Story: Happy Mother's Day
(Three months before Beacon's school year)
Peddles of snow gently blew down the cliff-side of the unnamed forest. Nothing had changed since the last time she was here. The scene was still like a winter wonderland with white as far as the eye could see. It still covered over everything, the leafless trees, the ground, the few plants and shrubs that were here and there. It still lay thickly on the ground once called dirt and grass, that now became blankets of snow. The heavy mist known to be a common thing around the forest, swarmed around everything from edges of the cliff side to the very edge of the forest. The regularly harsh, chilling winds were not so harsh today as they blew gently down the terrain, almost as if they were specifically calm for today.
The sky was coated with thick grey clouds that didn't look to be disappearing anytime soon, and neither would the snowstorm still dropping small bits of snowflakes everywhere. It was a very early morning today; the sun was still barely up. While she wasn't a morning person, she forced herself up extra early. It was to be an hour long walk here and the earlier the better. And not only that, but she also wanted to embrace the night time that was still out for the time being.
"I made it." The girl said to herself.
She made it to the Cliffside that gave a large overview of the distant forests quite a distance away. Everything was still covered in mist but not as thickly as it would normally be. It was then that she looked down in front of her and saw it.
Laying near the edge of the cliffside, was a small, thick, rectangular stone stele; a sort of headstone or alter. The girl admired the texture as, in some way, the presence of the slab added on to the beauty of the atmosphere around it, almost as if it belonged there.
It was marveling in a sort of dark and mysterious way. It was an embodiment reminder of just how fragile life is for the fear of death would always be scarred into the minds of many. At least that's what the girl thought as she approached the grave staring, just staring.
"Good morning mother…" the girl said in a faint voice. "It's me…. Ruby."
Ruby stared with saddening eyes into her mother's headstone. It's been almost eight years since Summer Rose has left her. The memories of her mother weighed heavily on Ruby's heart. Whenever she was around people and the topic of her mother came up, she would always hide it in her usual stoic expression. But when she was alone, she would release her sorrow. There were countless times when she was in her early preteen years, long before her training, where students would tease and bully her for having no parents. She would get harassed and bullied so much that she would hide in the custodian's closet and just cry and cry. Ruby now supposed that they were correct in a sense of hindsight.
With her mother gone, her father was the only parent left. Or at least he would have been if he didn't become such a workaholic with his missions. He would only be home for a few hours of the day and that was when she was at school. He would sleep until she got home and then leave without saying a goodbye. Sometimes he wouldn't even be there when she came home. Always a yellow sticky note saying "Do Your Best! : - )"
Seeing those notes angered Ruby, there were far too many times when she crumpled, ripped, and screamed in anger at her father. However, when she was young and still ignorant, she would always tell herself "he's trying to make money to support us. That's all." She tried desperately to make excuses as to why she was being ignored, to be left alone. It wasn't until she was 13 when her Uncle Qrow taught her how to hack into systems where she decided to view her family savings account after all those years of neglect from her father. She had hoped that she was wrong in thinking he only wanted to be away from her. That with her mother gone, times would be tough. It was only after when she hacked the bank, specifically made for active hunters, that she made a discovery that angered her even further. When her mother passed away, the life insurance was so high that her father could have actually retired and raised both herself and her sister. Instead he chose to continue working and left her to fend for herself.
And speaking of her sister, Ruby narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. Her sister, Yang seemed more like her father every day. Like him, she would always be out of the house. When they were young, Yang would always scare Ruby and play pranks on her when she wanted to be left alone. There was even a case when she was 10, and Yang 12, where her sister said she found "a gazillion books in a tree". Even back then, books were Ruby's weakness and she believed her immediately. She should have known better, how can her sister travel five miles away from home and find books in tree. The prank that she fell for got worse. When Ruby looked around the tree, she failed to realize that her sister was gone. She called her name over and over, scared, desperate and in panic. It was then that Ruby realized that her sister had left her in the woods all alone. She remembered crying and crying so hard that she thought she was going to die. She wanted her mother, her uncle Qrow, anyone who could save her from being alone. She had been stuck there until night came upon her and the full moon was now up.
It was then that Ruby remembered something that she could never forget, something that completely stunned her to this day. When she was sitting next to the tree, hiding her face in her knees, she looked up after hearing a whine and saw a pack of wolves around her. At first she was scared, terrified really, but when they approached her, they didn't give off the killing intent. In fact, Ruby saw the sorrowful look in the eyes of the alpha male and female. The female actually licked her tears and the male rubbed his head into her shoulders causing her to giggle. The wolves had surrounded her with their warm fur, embracing her. The pups all went on top of Ruby playing with her hair and licking her. Then she heard wings flapping and looked up to see numerous crows, bats, owls, and ravens around her in the trees. They were all there for her, they kept her warm, and safe.
In fact, Ruby now knows why. Each one of those animals were known to be symbols of the night. Animals shunned and labeled to be different, demonic, and evil. But here they were with her and she felt love from them. It was on that day that Ruby realized that she was accepted by the animals as a child of the night. A member of the night family. The amazing thing was when the animals actually guided her back home safely. When she saw the house, she felt sad. She didn't want to go back to the hellhole she was in. But the animals knew it was for best and so did she. On that night she stared up into the full moon and with the wolves, the ravens, the crows, the bats, and the owls, she howled with them all, chirping, squawking, howling at the full moon that was their guardian, all cheering for it. When she entered her home she found Yang asleep on the couch and when she entered her room, the cheering started again where she heard a thud on the floor with Yang screaming in confusion. The thing Ruby remembered was the animals all huddled together by her window looking at her before they all ran and flew back into the safety of the night. Ruby wished she could have joined them.
Ruby had remembered her past both with anger and sympathy. Were it not for her hard times, she would not be where she was today. And while she still had much to learn, she was happier to have gone through so much to discover who she was and the strength that she had.
"I miss you so much mother." Ruby whispered. "You were always there for me."
She kneeled down closer to the grave with both of her hands clenched tightly into fists with her head hung low. "There hasn't been a lot going on. I did buy some new books so that should keep me pretty busy for a while. Also I order two exclusive book sets from my favorite authors. However, they won't be ready for pick up until September so I have quite a bit time. I am supposed to go pick them up in Vale City. You know I hate cities so you can imagine the kind of hell I am going to be going through." She lightly chuckled to herself.
"I'm still a drop out- but before you get angry I did not become a dumbass!" she frantically said to the grave. "In fact, Uncle Qrow doesn't let up with my studies. For a drunk, he really knows his stuff hehe… sorry Father and Yang couldn't be here. Father went out on a mission and Yang is currently on a job. I'm sure they will visit you very soon though. I know they miss you too."
She smiled sadly as she wiped the snow away from her mother's name. Tears had already formed and trailed down her cheeks. "I miss you so much… mommy. I wish you were here with me. I try the best I can but every now and then I want your advice, your guidance." She gritted her teeth as she sobbed loudly, letting her teats stain the headstone. After a few minutes of crying, wiped her eyes and smiled gently.
"I got you something mother." Ruby reached around and pulled out two roses from her metallic pocket. She jammed both of them into the ground firmly so no wind can pull them away. They were placed next to each other, leaning on one another. It was a red and white rose.
"Happy Mother's Day…. Mommy." She said. "I continue to follow in your path, I will continue to do my best, and I promise you will see me as a true hunter! I swear to you my beloved mother!"
The heavy wind returned, Ruby leaned further down the headstone and placed a gentle kiss on the cold surface. Following after, some lisps of whispers escaped her mouth too silent to be heard. As the wind blew harder she went silent and placed a hand on the cold hard stele before, without a word or sound, rising up, and walking away leaving a small, thin trail of snow prints behind as she continued moving, refusing to looking back with the two roses continuing to dance with the wind together.
There you have it. I hope you all enjoyed this little side story, I know I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think my dark readers. Your words are what I seek to read. Also please have a lovely Mother's day to all of you.
Please leave a review, good or bad. If there is any constructive criticisms you have, please do not hesitate to tell me, it helps me to grow as a writer. Thanks so much for reading.
Until next time my Dark Readers. Forevermore - FT
