Author's Note

I last updated this story 2 years ago. Two freaking years. For that, I apologize. School's been dragging me down and the newest volumes of RWBY keeps disappointing me to the point of making me leaving the fandom. Though when I look back at these stories, I can't possibly leave them hanging. I actually been working on this one particularly but since my beta is away, I can't help but delay the publishing. Here's a new chapter. I had to edit it myself so apologize if there's any mistakes in spelling or grammar.

Chapter 4 - Trust

It is new for Weiss and Blake to face with a distancing Ruby. Not to mention the younger girl is more quiet than usual. Her hood is kept over her head most of the time and often covers her face, which annoys Weiss more.

"What's with you and your hood? Just take it off!" she exclaims. Ruby pulls on her hood, covering her face even more as she trembles.

"Stop it, Weiss. You're scaring her," Blake defends.

She trembles violently. It's not Weiss that Ruby feared; it's what inside her she fears.

Weiss huffs. Yang isn't around to back her up. She looks at Ruby for a moment and grabs her hood, attempting to pull it back. She yelps. "N-No, Weiss! P-please!" She begs.

"You know it's rude to have this on your head. Just take it off!"

Her tremble grows violent than before. She grips onto her hood tightly and grits her teeth. Her fangs and claws grow, letting out low growl.

When Weiss manages to pull her hood back, Ruby suddenly bit her hand. She sinks her teeth deep into her flesh, sending Blake into utter shock and Weiss screams in pain. Blake's eyes widened, unbeknownst to her that her leader's eyes are red instead her gleaming silver eyes looking at Weiss in anger as she pulls away. She pulls her hood over her head again and growls.

Weiss trembles in shock and pain, clutching onto her injured left hand. Her whimpers woke Blake from her stupor and goes to the heiress to help. Ruby glares, but she calms down when she sees blood dripping from her partner's hand. She looks at her in concern but her animal features remain.

"Ruby!" A voice calls and Ruby recognizes it immediately. Yang is shocked to see Weiss' condition and quickly run to her. But Ruby already fixing to leave and the moment the blonde reach them, the red hooded girl bolts away.

Yang goes to Weiss and inspected her hand. She gasps softly when the bite turns out be like a dog bite. She glances at where Ruby ran to, unlike usual, there aren't any rose petals left on the ground. She frowns. "Let's just… go to the infirmary…" Yang suggests.

"You're lucky the bite wasn't bone crushing like you thought," Professor Peach say as she finished wrapping Weiss' hand with bandage. She winces and slowly pulls her hand away, inspecting her hand. Yang sighs and looks at Peach with concern.

"Professor, when you were treating Ruby… was she acting strange?" she asks. The woman stops on her track, gulping hard and turn to her.

"What do you mean?"

"It's…" Yang frowns. "She's been acting strange. She always hides her face and runs from us. At night, she cries in pain. Did… that happened to you, ma'am?"

Peach sighs; her mind keep telling her to inform the truth but her promise to the red-cloaked girl stops her. "No… she does not. But I could check on her if you three can bring her here…" she suggests.

The three older girls look at each other in doubt. They hardly see their leader face to face and to bring her here is a challenge. Yang frowns, "We'll… try to get her here… Thanks for helping Weiss." The woman nods as the trio excuses themselves. Peach shakes her head, sympathizing their situation.

They go back to their dorm to see if their leader has returned. Yang hoped she would, Weiss hoped for the otherwise and Blake is in between. They have no clue what is going on with her or why would she acted in such manner. They really want Peach to tell them herself but even she has no clue of what is wrong with her.

Or that's what she told them anyway.

Yang pushes the door open when they got there, but their leader is nowhere. She frowns, her shoulders slumps in disappointment. Weiss heads to her bed and sit on the edge, staring down at her hand in sadness.

Blake offers to call Ruby and so she does. They wait in silence as the Faunus girl waits for the beeping to end, hoping for her leader to pick up but it ends with silence as if the call was cut. She sighs.

"She's not picking up…" Blake says, redialing her number again on her scroll. Weiss gently rubs her bandaged hand and Yang watches.

"How's that hand?" she asks. Weiss sighs.

"It's alright. Just… I-I didn't think she would be that angry," she mutters.

Blake still attempts to call Ruby while Yang goes to her sister's bed. She climbs up, peeking over to her bed and gasps softly. She pulls herself up and examines her pillow; claw marks on the edge and she notices her bed sheet has a tear with similar pattern. She recalls last night she heard soft growls from her bed and she thought she was playing with Zwei.

But Zwei isn't here and Ruby knows her curfew to not sleep so late.

"What's wrong, Yang?" Weiss asks from below. Yang scowls but she knew she had to tell them what's in her mind.

A lone Beowolf walks through the forest cautiously, scanning around for an enemy before moving on. A torn black fabric stuck onto one of its spike and a red cloak in its mouth. The quiet sounds of stream catch its attention and it quickly make its way there.

The cloak is dropped and it laps the water hungrily. A couple of fish swims by but it doesn't seem bothered by it. A huff of satisfaction escapes its mouth and stares into the water. The fishes aren't the center of its attention. It was itself.

It let out a whimper and circles the spot. It looks at the cloak as it stops and walk towards it. Poking it with its snout, a scroll fell out from the folds. It rings and Blake's face is on the screen. It whines. It waits for the ring to stop but the second came five seconds later. The Grimm suddenly feel fear and it cries.

Nobody would believe a Grimm could cry, nobody would believe a Grimm could've shrunk and their black fur replaced with pale skin or shortens to be hair. Red eyes turn silver and the cry sounds more human, child-like even. Pair of her own arms wrapped around herself in fear and pain. Tears fall from her eyes but she tries to stop. Her voice choked to speak and the ring stops. Five seconds later, it rings again. She sighs shakily and as calm as she could be, she picks it up and answers.

"H-hello?"

"Ruby, you're there finally! Where are you? We need to talk with you now."

She trembles, the voice of Yang in the background asking for her terrifies her. What do they want to talk about? About Weiss? She quickly thought up an apology but they don't sound convincing. She gulps hard. She can't leave them in the dark but she couldn't afford them leaving or killing them after finding out who, or what she has become.

She can't keep them waiting either.

"I-I'll be there…" She mutters and ends the call before Blake could say anything else. She sighs again and grabs her cloak, wrapping it tight around her. 'I really should consider spare clothes next time…' she thought. That would be impossible and she knows that well. She stands, making sure the cloak covers her body well enough and she slowly make it out of the forest.

She really wants her team mates to stop asking; where was she? Why was she naked? Was she hurt? Why did she bite Weiss? For once, she wants them to shut up. Her head throbs due to the noise and she dismisses them with a wave of her hand. She grabs her clothes and walks passed them to the restroom.

Now the others, they are shocked. Especially Yang, never in her life would she thought her sister would dismiss her like that. She sits on Blake's bed in disbelief and disappointment. She sighs and frowns deeply. "What's wrong with her?" She mutters.

"She's hiding something. I'm sure of it," Weiss proclaims but it doesn't elicit any interest from her blonde team mate. Blake knows what she's thinking but wouldn't want to say it out loud. She sits next to her and wraps her arms around her in comfort.

"She needs some time for herself. She did look exhausted. Let her be for now, okay?" she assures. Yang looks at her for a moment, then nods. Her muscles relaxed and she sighs shakily.

But of course, Ruby heard. She frowns and ducks to the restroom to wash. She wishes she could tell.

Though there's no way she would admit the truth.