I sat quietly on the back of the aircraft, looking out the window. I looked down at my legs and sighed. After a few seconds, I got up and went to talk to the pilot. "Are we nearby at all?"
"We're coming close. Just hang tight." He responded.
"I've been doing that for a while now. I'm beginning to get anxious. I don't know how much longer I can sit up here and wait!" I began to get angry.
"Miss Schnee, there isn't a whole lot I can do! I'm going as fast as I can! Keep in mind I'm not getting paid for this escort, so I sure as hell hope you have-" he was cut off but the quick glimpse of something fly past us behind a cliff.. Something huge.
"What was that?" I asked, worried.
"I'm not sure. Get somewhere safe in case this goes south." He said to me. I wasn't going to hide, but I was definitely going to do something! I ran to the back of the aircraft and looked out the window and kept seeing quick glimpses of the creature fly behind cliffs. From what I saw, it appeared to be some kind of Grimm, but nothing that I've ever seen before. This thing was enormous! These sights were eventually accompanied by horrific sounds that I've never heard before. To be honest, I was scared. Eventually, the sounds stopped and the sights I was seeing were gone. I wanted to to think we were in the clear, but I just knew that that is never the case.
And eventually, I found that I was right.
This enormous creature was finally a clear sight to me. This creature from hell appeared to be a dragon grimm. I had only heard about these extremely rare creatures through our studies, but never has one been spotted in a hundred years. My thoughts were interrupted as the monster violently ripped the ship in half and threw both pieces towards the ground. I knew for sure this was it.
My father threw a punch at me, but I blocked it with my right arm and swung a punch at him with my left arm. He, however, deflected my attack as well and took his left foot and heel-kicked the back of my foot, causing me to fall backwards, crashing to the ground. I was frustrated.
"Come on, Yang. You can't forget that! Never let yourself become vulnerable like that. You half to remember to-"
"Back up, I know, dad!" I argued. "I don't see how you make this look so easy!" I complained. My father sighed.
"Sweetheart...no matter what you think, this isn't easy. I used to be in the same position as you." I looked at him questioningly for a moment. He then knelt before me. "Your grandfather always tried to teach me this stuff, and I could never get it right either. But you know what? Eventually, I thought about it. I thought that if I really wanted to be a huntsman if it were to be this challenging. And still, I practiced. Yang, you see, it's all about determination and being relaxed. You can't always expect results on the first few attempts, sweetheart. You keep practicing. And you you still have several years before you go to school to become a huntress. You and your sister have plenty of time to practice. Eventually, everything that I'm trying to teach you will become easier through time and effort. Especially effort." He put his left hand on my shoulder. "Without effort, you won't get anywhere. Just be patient, sweetie." He said. He put his hand on my cheek and we both smiled. "Now, are you ready to go again?" He asked. I cracked my knuckles.
"Armed and ready."
I looked at my new arm and had a quick flash of childhood memories go by. Especially the ones where I struggled to have dad help my with my hand-to-hand combat. I shed a tear. I swore that that I would never let him or Ruby down. My subconsciousness was broken when a heard an explosion in the distance. I hopped on bumblebee, revved the engine and took off towards the boom. Within a matter of seconds, I was at the scene. I got off my bike and slowly walked around, seeing fiery debris from a fallen aircraft all around me. I looked for any survivors.
That's when I found Weiss, lying under debris.
I quickly lifted the parts off of her and pulled her to safety. I screamed her name. She wasn't waking up. I gave her several pushes to the chest, hoping she would wake up from whatever she was in. I began to cry when my partner refuses to wake up. I thought she was in a coma and I thought that she wouldn't recover. I held Weiss in my arms and cried her name. I eventually went silent with tears still in my eyes. That's when I heard a quiet voice call my name. I stopped crying for a moment and looked down towards my arms and saw Weiss with a smile on her face. I gave her a big hug and she returned it. I was so happy to see her again since the fall of Beacon. She then let go of me and I noticed a worried look on her face.
"The pilot!" She screamed. She got up and ran towards the fallen aircraft. I followed behind. She stopped in her tracks and looked down at the horrifying sight that was the pilot, torn to pieces from the debris. I ran next to her and she immediately buried her eyes into my chest and cried at the sight. I looked at the pilot as his guts were burning in the flames. Poor bastard. The moment of silence was ruined by a mischievous voice behind us.
"Well, well, boys. It seems we scored two of 'em this time." Weiss and I both turned around to see the sight of a bandit standing several feet before us. More bandits were revealed to be present as they emerged from the darkness provided by the trees. Their mouths were watering. "And one of them appears to be the ice queen herself." He continued. "Tell, me darling: how good are you with that tongue of yours?" He asked.
"I won't have to use it when I'm kicking your ass!" She said coldly. She and I readied our weapons.
"Hear that boys? We got ourselves a potty mouth! Let's see if we can give that a literal meaning, eh?"
It was a beautiful night in Menagerie. I looked over the the balcony. I cried at the slight thought of leaving my friends behind. I know I let them down. I know I got Yang hurt. I know it's all because of me, but I realize perhaps my biggest mistake was leaving them. I let them down in the worst possible. They need me and I need them. If they're going to Haven, then from what I hear, they're going to need all the help they can get. But my parents want me here. It'll be almost impossible to convince them to let me go. But then again, why would they need me here? It's not like there's going to be a severe attack here at all. They should be fine. I took a deep breath and ventured into the living room where my parents sat. "Guys...I need to go to Haven." I started.
"You most certainly do not, young lady." My father said.
"My friends need me!" I argued.
"No, they don't! At least not as much as we do!" I responded.
"Dad, they're going to Haven and are going to die if I don't help them." I said more calmly.
"And if you go down there, then you're gonna die to! We can't lose you again!" He responded. I hesitated.
"What did you just say?" I asked. He looked at me questioningly. "Do you not believe in me? Is that what you're saying father?" I asked, beginning to tear up.
"Of course not, sweetheart, but I just don't want to risk it." He said, attempting to comfort me.
"But my friends-"
"Your friends have made the wrong choice, Blake!"
"So, now, apparently, to you, choosing to march all the way to a destination they didn't have to go to just help defend Haven and putting others before themselves is the wrong choice?" I asked. He looked shocked and couldn't force the answer out of his mouth. "IS IT?!" I screamed. He was frozen in defeat. My mother looked saddened. In the far background of the room, I noticed Sun, spectating in shock. I couldn't hold back the tears and ran out of the house and ran as far and as fast as I could. I ran outside of town and hid behind a tree. I buried my face into my knees and cried. In a few minutes, Sun hung from a tree branch in front of me. I looked up. "What do you think, Sun?" I asked.
"I think you're making the right decision."
