Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters, for that honor belongs to the team of Rooster Teeth. However, I do still hope that you enjoy the story.

It was the dead of night and most of the group was now asleep. The only ones that remained awake were Ruby and Professor Goodwitch. If she were being honest, the young huntress would prefer the bragging of Professor Oobleck when compared to the stern silence of this woman. Don't get her wrong. She trusted Goodwitch's ability more than anyone else among the two teams. It was that the professional Huntress terrified her and that riding crop of hers didn't help. Then again anyone would have been better than Goodwitch. At least then she would have someone to talk to until her shift ends. Until that time, she would have to sit in silence.

"I guess it's not that bad," she said looking up that sky.

The Soleil Woods were really beautiful at night. The way the light of the shattered moon broke through the canopy of leaves, speckling the ground with a silver glow. The constellations, difficult to see in the cities, could now been seen clearly. Even more so than in her hometown of Patch.

"Miss Rose," Goodwitch said, "I hope that you aren't getting distracted up there."

Ruby winced, "Of course not."

Okay, so she was a little distracted, but who could blame her. She had been sitting up in this tree for the better part of an hour and nothing had happened. Ruby knew that should be a good thing. Problem was that it brought her back to her questions from earlier. Why hadn't they been attacked by this point? Heck, why hadn't they even seen a Grimm? None of it made any sense. Growing up in Patch there would at least 2, may even three sightings within a week. Here? There was nothing.

SNAP!

There it was again, the sound of twigs snapping in two. Looking down, she surveyed the camp. Goodwitch stood alert, obviously having heard it just as she had. Oh good, so she wasn't going crazy.

"Professor Goodwitch," she said, "Do you feel anything?"

Probably wasn't the best question she could ask if her frustrated expression was anything to go by.

"I am….unsure," the professor said hesitantly, "There is something out there, but I am unable to determine where it is."

Ruby did not like the sound of that. The woman was a professional Huntress with years of experience. If she couldn't figure out where this….thing was hiding, then it must be good. Meaning it was bad for them. Just great.

"What should we do?" Ruby asked.

"For now, nothing." said Goodwitch, "We do not know what enemy lurks in this night. It is best that we leave it alone and hope that it will do the same.

"What if it doesn't?" she asked.

Goodwitch's eyes narrowed, "Then it will wish that it had."

Yikes. For once, Ruby actually felt pity for any Grimm that had the misfortune of running into her.

"I'm so bored," Ruby said to herself.

It was an hour later and nothing had happened. With nothing better to do she had pulled out Crescent Rose. If only she had her tools, then maybe she could run maintenance on her baby. Sadly, she was forced to leave it back at Beacon. She had put up a fight about it before being assured that the town would have supplies that she could use. Still didn't like it though.

Since she couldn't fix it up, Ruby decided to play around a bit with her scope. Mostly just to see if she could find anything interesting. Her results were less than interesting; all she could find were trees, more trees, even more trees, and a Grimm on a hill watching her. Yep! Nothing interesting….at….all….

Ruby blinked, "Wait? WHAT?!"

"Is there something wrong?" Professor Goodwitch asked.

"I…." She was about to tell her, honest.

But then she had looked at the Grimm through her scope. She couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like it was shaking its head. As if asking her not to say anything. That made sense. It was trying to preserve its own life, so of course it wouldn't want her to tell Goodwitch. The professor would probably take it out in an instant. Killing it, just like she was trained to do. Heck, if she wanted to, Ruby could probably take it out from here. So, why didn't she?

"Um, sorry professor, I just saw….um, a squirrel?" That definitely sounded more like a question than a statement.

"A squirrel?" Goodwitch asked disbelievingly.

"Yep! I, uh, didn't notice it sneaking up on me," she lied with a sheepish grin, "so I got a little spooked when it came near me."

A moment of silence passed between the two. Ruby broke into a nervous sweat knowing that the stern women most likely saw through her lie. She was going to be in so much….

"Honestly, you should pay more attention to your surroundings," Goodwitch chided.

….trouble…. "Huh?"

"A true Huntsman must be constantly on guard when on a mission," the woman lectured, "Especially when on watch like we are now. I will let it slide this once if only because I was here to prevent any issues. However, remember that you can not afford to fool around in such tasks again. The safety of your team depends on your vigilance not only as the one on duty, but also as their leader. Do I make myself clear?"

Ruby was so dumbfounded that the only thing she could do was nod.

"Good."

The young Huntress-in-training could not believe it. Professor Goodwitch, whose gaze seemed to pierce into your very soul, actually bought that pathetic lie. Wow.

Taking another peek through her scope she was surprised to see that the Grimm was moving. Was it leaving now that it thought it wouldn't be hunted? No. It would be running if that were the case. It was moving slowly and deliberately. It wanted her to know exactly what it was doing. Did….did it want her to follow?

She almost scoffed. She wasn't stupid, no matter what Weiss says. Sure, she liked to see the best in people, but this was a Grimm. A soulless creature that would rip her to shreds the first chance it got. Her mind told her that she should have shot it. That it would be better for everyone if it had died. Her heart on the other hand told her that if she did, she would regret it.

A harsh breath escaped her, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

There was just one little obstacle that she would need to get pass. So, how was she going to sneak away from "The Witch of Beacon"? She could use her semblance to speed away, but she doubted that she would be able to outpace the older woman. Ruby went through several plans, but each one was just as bad as the last. It was frustrating and if she didn't leave soon the trail could cold. Then it hit her. She just hoped that Yang never heard of this.

"Did you need something Miss Rose?" Goodwitch asked after the girl's descent from the tree.

"I NEED TO USE THE BATHROOM!" Ruby cried urgently.

Silence reigned.

"That was so embarrassing," Ruby groaned.

Her chasing down this Grimm had better be worth it or she was going cut that thing into ribbons. It had taken all of her acting skills to convince her teacher that she desperately needed to go. By that she meant she had to dance around like a little kid that had drank far too much soda. Ugh, if Yang ever heard of this she would never let her live it down. Oh god and if Weiss were to know….

"My dignity….is lost," the young girl fell to her knees in depression.

Wait. Ruby paused in her attempt to draw circles in the dirt. There on the ground was a paw print; a very large paw print. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. This was great. She was sure that it belonged to the creature she was attempting to track and that meant she was going the right way. Not only that, but maybe now she could try to figure out what type of Grimm it was.

That was odd. The prints didn't match any that she could think of. Though she hadn't seen it clearly, she was sure the Grimm wasn't of abnormal size. It seemed close to the size of an Ursa Major and that was what she had expected to see. Instead, the tracks she found were similar to that of Zwei, though obviously much bigger. The only Grimm that came to mind would have to be a Beowolf. They did have human-like hands, but their hind legs were more like that of an actual wolf. It was the only real possibility considering there were no others with dog-like qualities.

"What do you think?" she asked the large Grimm currently standing behind her.

Growl

"You're right," she agreed, "The indentation is too big. It's definitely the front paw of something, but what?"

Growl

Ruby nodded, "Maybe, but I'd still like to know before hand. Don't want to get into a fight that I can't win."

Growl

"Hmmm, yeah," she said, "I shouldn't worry too much. Besides, that Grimm didn't look so tough."

Snarl

"Hehehe, sorry," she said sheepishly, "I didn't mean to insult you. I'm sure you're the scariest Grimm around."

The creature gave a prideful huff sending Ruby into a small fit of giggles. Who knew that a soulless creature could have such an ego. She froze.

"Wait a minute," Ruby blinked and then turned to find herself staring into crimson eyes.

Said eyes peered back at her from behind a white bone-like mask. With a yelp Ruby leapt back with Crescent Rose fully extending into its classic scythe form. Even having been caught off guard this girl was ready to battle. Or at least she had been until she took in the full form of her enemy.

"No way," she said quietly.

The Grimm that stood before her was not a Beowolf, but could be considered its close cousin given their similarities. The creature looked precisely like an oversized wolf; and when she says oversized, she means it. The thing was so big that she was pretty sure that you could fit three or four people on its back. It also lacked the human-like qualities that made Beowolves more lycanthropic than wolf. There was bone-like plating that covered its limbs along with two large spikes that stuck from the shoulders.

She couldn't believe it. Standing in front of her was a Grimm that she had never heard of. Well, that alone wasn't surprising as she was sure that there were more that hadn't been discussed by Port yet. She just hadn't expected for this Grimm to be so….so….

"So cute!" she squealed with stars in her eyes as the massive canine stared back with a tilted head

In an instant she was already at its side and scratching it behind the ears just like she would with Zwei. The giant beast was putty in her hands as it laid down with a very pleased growl.

"Awww, you're just big old puppy aren't you?" she asked it and was happy to receive a happy bark.

Ruby giggled as her hand combed through its surprisingly soft, pitch black fur. She took the time to view its mask which further removed it from being a Beowolf as their masks took the form of a wolf's skull. As in their actual skulls. This Grimm's on the other hand was more like a literal mask. The structure contorted to fit its face in manner not that different from an Ursa. The mask even provided a few extra fangs. A beast like this should be considered somewhat frightening. Too bad for it, but the vibes it gave off told Ruby that it was really just an overgrown puppy. It wasn't helped by its current mannerisms.

"I must admit," a new voice spoke, "When Lobo told me that someone had entered out territory, I did not expect a student from Beacon."

The Grimm, now known as Lobo, stood up, it tail wagging in obvious joy. Ruby recognized the display. It was that of a loyal dog greeting its owner, its friend. She stared out into the brush nervous at meeting someone that could claim the loyalty of the creature beside her. True she had confirmed that it wasn't necessarily dangerous, but that was when it was alone. Who knows what it would do once ordered.

"What brings you to my woods Little Reaper?" the voice asked as it stepped into the clearing.

No way. It couldn't possible have been this simple, but, as hard as she tried, she could not deny the figure that now stood in her sight.

"The Knightstalker," she said quietly.

Author's Note

Okay, again I apologize for being late again. I am trying my best here to set up a schedule so that I can release my stories on time. Sadly, it seems that life just want to kick me in balls every time I try. Still, we are now in the the third part of A Grimm's Knight and to be honest I don't feel that this was my best work. It feels very rushed to me and I wish that I could have done more. In fact I planned on writing more for this chapter, but the second that I wrote Ruby's line it was as if the scene cut itself off. Ugh, it is so hard to maintain a consistent word count when your story ends itself.

Alright, sorry for the rant, but it just really sucks. Moving on, like I said life has been tricky, well more like I'm having a hard time finding time to sit and write. No matter, I'm still aiming to be consistent on my updates. So if things turn out well this week, then we should have Part 4 of this story out next sunday.

Unfortunately, due to all the delays and the drop in word count for this chapter I am going to be working on this story for a little bit longer than I intended. That means my reaction fic that I had scheduled to officially on March 6th will have to be pushed back to mid-April at the latest.

That's pretty much everything that is going on right now. Also, do not forget to head over to the poll on my profile to vote for what story you would like to see me do next.