A/N: Probably the most difficult chapter to write. No idea why, but oh well. Next one will be the beginning of the serious stuff! Finally! Thanks for sticking around this long everyone, and through the slow build up! Always a pleasure to write for you all :D not really much to say, so enjoy this odd chapter!

~I dedicate this chapter to ARMV7 and Arin; you guys will pull through this, easily!~

"Right when I was about go back to sleep…" Neptune whined.

His comment earned a slight chuckle from Velvet, but the girl continued marching forward along with the rest of The Wings of Vengeance.

Currently the entire regiment of The Wings of Vengeance has been mobilized during the night to move north towards one of Vale's castle towns; Sanctum. Rumors of a Haven battalion sized element seizing the town had caused the King of Vale to order a unit to investigate and eliminate any and all foreign threats.

General Cardin had jumped at the chance of battle and took up the campaign, even though tomorrow would be the main war meeting for the setting off of all three main army's campaigns. The King granted his request and now here they were. Marching in the dead of night; hundreds of soldier's flying the banner and colors of Cardin's army in a massive formation.

The thundering of boots and the booming of drums sounded in the night as the army moved. It was a spectacular sight and sound. Ruby had never been a part of anything like it before. Her and almost over half of the new recruits who were currently a part of it. Nerves and emotions were unsure as to where they were currently headed and of what to expect. They were told nothing but rumors and now they marched.

Ruby stuck close to the rabbit Faunus' girl's side, she was keeping her silver eyes out for the two men who had attacked her earlier this night. Granted in a marching order this big, the chances of them finding her in this mess were extremely low. But the crimson haired girl rather stay vigilant than let them get the drop on her once again.

Velvet however seemed to notice Ruby's jumpiness and wrapped a reassuring arm around the small and timid girl. Flashing her bright and cheery smile once more, she leaned down and whispered in the smaller girl's ear.

"Don't worry Red; I'll be right here with you! No need to be nervous, we'll watch each other's backs."

This warmth.

This smile, this arm around my shoulder, and these reassuring words.

It's just like Yang's…

Ruby smiled slightly back towards the Faunus girl and nodded her head. She didn't fight against the tear that escaped her eye but she didn't want to. Ruby felt real happiness in that moment; something she hadn't felt for the last few days.

Staring up at the brown eyes that twinkled with warmth, Ruby continued forward within the wide formation towards a battle that was uncertain. But as long as she had her new friends with her she was sure she'd get the chance to introduce them to her sister soon.

"Halt! Formation halt!" A thunderous voice sounded.

Suddenly the thunderous sounds of marching died down instantly. Soldiers all among the formation immediately started speaking amongst themselves regarding the halt order. Even Velvet and Neptune looked slightly worried. It was the dead of night and they were still in the forest, nowhere near their destination.

"What do you think we're doing now?" Neptune asked.

Velvet's ears perked up and she looked as if she were concentrating on listening to something specific, but after a moment she sighed and shook her head slightly.

"I can't hear anything really regarding that. Too many people talking." Velvet muttered disappointedly.

At that moment Neptune plopped onto the ground and sat down stretching his body. "We're making camp here, I bet you!" He then said tiredly.

Ruby just stayed close to Velvet as the girl shook her head at the sight of Neptune. But not a moment later did a new order get shouted down from the head of the formation.

"Make camp! Make camp!"

Ruby looked around at the various other soldiers who were marching around seem to all relax at the new command given. There was a collective sigh heard throughout the group.

"Told ya."

Velvet scowled at the blue haired boy, but soon smirked. She indeed was exhausted as well. Pulling night watch then being told that they were to march the very next minute, all she wanted to do was lay down and go to –

"You three! You're new recruits right?" A man bellowed.

The trio all jumped before glancing to their left at the sight of an armored man riding atop a black steed. He was dressed in a dark brown set of heavy plate armor, with his full faced helm shut closed. His armor did nothing but intimidate the three recruits but they all managed to shake their heads up and down at his question.

"Good, we need volunteers for scouting parties. You three have just volunteered. You will scout the eastern edge of the forest and report back if you find any signs of Haven troops."

The three continued to stare at the man in disbelief.

"You three fall under me now; Sergeant Viktor. Come find me when you return, now get moving!"

With that the horseman rode off without another word, leaving three brand new recruits with their mission.

"Are you freakin' kidding me?" Neptune whined; he looked as if he were on the verge of tears.

Ruby glanced up at Velvet and spotted that the girl's mood had soured instantly, but she smiled right after and looked over at Ruby, meeting the girl's questioning gaze.

"Well, at least this means we'll still be together Red!"

Ruby beamed at the Faunus and nodded her head happily. It was true, if they were given a mission together and actually did a good job; why would the higher ups try to break them apart?

"I seriously was so ready to go to sleep, and now we have to go scout! First the damn ceremony, then the night watch, and now this!" Neptune grumbled as he stood up and sulked towards where they were told to go.

Ruby and Velvet shared a look before giggling together at Neptune's misfortune. Sure, it did kind of suck but they weren't going to complain about it.

"Neptune, you do know you enlisted into the military at the time of war, right? If this is causing you to bitch and moan already, then you're in for a big surprise." Velvet chuckled out as she followed him.

Ruby quickly walked beside the rabbit Faunus and behind Neptune who led. As the trio passed by various amounts of other new recruits and hardened veterans alike they took note of their surroundings. Dozens of the soldiers were now setting up camp; tents were being hoisted up and wagons being unloaded. It was quite the sight.

As they continued trekking through Ruby caught sight of a few mobile cannons resting inside of the carriages that the army had pulled along. The young girl felt a strong urge to run over and examine the deadly war machines, but couldn't help but want to stay near her new friends.

"So all we have to do is just like walk around blindly in the dark forest and pray to the Gods that we don't get spotted by Haven troops and come back right? Like a ten minute job, nice!" Neptune mused out loud.

"Are you just lazy, or a coward? I can never tell with you." Velvet asked sharply, before turning to face Ruby and smiled. "Since there's a possibility of us maybe getting in a confrontation together, we should try to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, don't you think, Neptune?"

"Insult me then ask for my opinion? Yeah that sounds good, would be smart to play into each other's strengths." Neptune muttered without turning around as he kept walking.

Velvet nodded as she smirked towards Ruby once more.

"Well, I use a longbow, and with being a Faunus I'm able to see much better in the dark than you two. So I should lead in that case, plus before joining the army I used to go on hunts with my father. I'm used to being in forests like these during the night." The brown haired girl explained.

'I knew she was skilled with those arrow shots from earlier.' Ruby thought to herself.

Neptune grunted at the girl's explanation and took this chance to speak about himself now.

"Well, I use my glaive here for close combat, but I also use a tomahawk to throw, granted I only… have one. But yeah, I suppose you should be leading; it would make more sense." He admitted while halting.

Velvet smirked at the slightly irritated looking boy as she walked past him in order to lead the group, with Ruby sticking close behind her now.

"Well how about Red? She uses that scythe so she's skilled in melee but she also has that weird looking crossbow so I'm guessing she's adept at both?" The cyan haired boy continued.

Ruby glanced back at him but nodded her head at his explanation. He in fact was correct.

The trio was now at the far edge of camp. The starting of campfires illuminating the tents that were now set up could still be seen in the distance. The sounds of their fellow soldiers barely carrying this far from where they stood ready to begin their mission.

"So, Vel in front; since you can guide us in the dark. Red is in the middle; she can provide support since she doesn't speak. And I'll take rear guard? Good formation?"

Ruby ran the plan in her own head but couldn't see any negative flaws in it. Despite the light blue haired boy's complaining he could come up with good tactics in his head.

"Sounds good, if I do see anyone I'll do this." Velvet said as she held the universal sign for halt. A closed fist held up in the air. "And we'll stop and find cover, and observe them. If they aren't an immediate threat I say we let them pass, but if they spot us or are bound to find our camp… Well; I guess we should..." The girl continued uncomfortably.

"W- We kill them, right?" Neptune finished hesitantly.

Ruby could tell both Neptune and Velvet were nervous at the idea of actually killing another human being. She realized that not everyone went through the same things she had, so it would be different for others to deal with.

The small girl truly wished she could say something to reassure them that they would be fine, but she couldn't. Her words still failed her as she grit her teeth. But a sudden idea came to her then.

Walking up to both Neptune and Velvet, Ruby placed her small hands on both of their shoulders and smiled. If she couldn't speak to them, she'd show it through gestures!

And it seemed to have the desired effect as both of them looked towards the young girl in confusion before smiling themselves and placing their arms on her shoulders as well.

"You're right, Red. We can do this!" Velvet then uttered confidently.

The three of them shared a look and glanced once more towards the camp of their comrades, and headed off in a staggered line formation with Velvet in front, Ruby in the middle, and Neptune in the rear.

The trio trudged on through the thicket of the forest. None uttered a word and tension was high. For two of the three of the group, killing would be a new experience to them, although not an unwelcome one; it still was nerve wracking.

Velvet proved to be an adept scout; anytime she spotted or sensed something amiss she would order the group to halt and observe. Of course it was usually only some wild life or just the wind, but it never hurt to be too careful; something her father had taught her.

As the group continued to head forth, she kept her eyes peeled for anything. Her Faunus heritage making it extremely easy to peer into the darkness of the forest. With every step and the low crunches of the dirt at their boots Velvet's nerves were at her wit's end. This felt nothing like the countless times she had gone hunting in the wild with her father. This entire feeling was different, as she was hunting for a different kind of prey.

But she wouldn't let this new uneasy feeling get the better of her. So she remained steadfast and continued her assigned task at hand, plus she had others relying on her; she couldn't afford to let her own fear control her thoughts. She had a job to do, and as she glanced over her shoulder and spotted Red checking her own surroundings looking alert, it caused Velvet to smile and redouble her efforts. If not for herself for her newfound friend; Red.

Ruby on the other hand felt very much at home in this situation. It was just like the countless times her and Yang had hunted bounties before. They had used to track them and follow them around forests just like this one she was currently in. Of course she wasn't with Yang at the moment so the small girl made sure to be extra careful when observing her surroundings. She glanced left and right through the thick trees and foliage, but also at the ground; looking for any hidden traps or markings.

She knew both of her fellow comrades would be new to killing and fighting to the death, and Ruby only hoped that they wouldn't hesitate when the moment presented itself. Not when she would need them most.

Just like uncle Qrow…

The memory of her uncle flooded her mind, and with that; also the memory of her mother. Ruby strained to push the thoughts away so she could focus and took a deep calming breath to clear herself. She couldn't show that she was weak in this current moment. Her new… friends needed her and she would not fail them.

They had already done so much for her, even if they didn't know it.

As the girls were lost in their thoughts while still keeping their eyes open for anything suspicious though, a certain cyan haired boy sighed loudly, catching the attention of his other two teammates.

"So... When can we head back?"

Velvet halted mid stride to turn and face the boy who had uttered the comment, letting Ruby get ahead of her in the process.

"You have got to be kidding me, Neptune. Has it occurred to you to ever take something serious for once? I mean who-"

Velvet's ears twitched at a distinct sound and the girl froze mid-sentence.

Ruby herself also heard it and immediately crouched behind a tree off to the group's left. She unslung her repeater crossbow and held her breath, peering into the darkness but just making out both Neptune and Velvet scramble behind another tree a few meters away.

Ruby shut her eyes and concentrated on where it was coming from. It was the sound of heavy foot falls. It couldn't be another friendly scouting party, as this was their sector to scan; which only meant one thing.

Haven.

The sounds of crunching branches and speaking could be heard. The sounds were only getting louder which meant that they indeed were heading in her direction, but their movements weren't hurried or rushed.

We weren't spotted.

Slowly, Ruby glanced around the tree at the direction of the noise. In the pitch black darkness she couldn't see anything, but judging from their voices there were at least five or more, and their formation had to be lax.

They aren't even trying to hide their presence?

How loud the enemy group was being perplexed the young girl, but she'd make sure that mistake would be their last. But she had to coordinate with Velvet and Neptune; not just rush out alone. Glancing back towards the two, Ruby spotted Velvet waving at her to get her attention and watched the Faunus point to her left and hold up eight fingers.

Eight soldiers coming from the left.

Ruby nodded her head and turned back around; peering in the general direction she was given. She felt a smirk form on her lips at Velvet. Even though the girl was scared she remained focused at the task at hand; Ruby knew that she would make an excellent teammate. She didn't lose her head at the first sight of trouble.

Bracing herself, Ruby leaned up against the tree she was hiding behind and aimed her crossbow towards the incoming sounds of the enemy soldiers. They sounded extremely close now, at least within two meters of her position. She prayed that none of them were a Faunus.

She held her breath once she caught sight of one of the soldiers. They were all engrossed in a conversation about something, not even paying attention to their surroundings. Their weapons were sheathed and they were making way too much noise. Ruby remained completely still as she stared down the sights of her weapon, counting a total of eight Haven troops who were all dressed in the usual dark gray plate armor and unknowingly walking right by her position. They were so close to her that she could reach out and grab one of their arms as they all walked past.

It was only once the last soldier walked past her that Ruby noticed they were headed right towards the tree Velvet and Neptune were both hiding behind. Those two wouldn't be so lucky and would in fact be spotted; being right in the group's path.

Ruby felt her adrenaline pumping and couldn't see Velvet poking her head out anymore as the group was nearly on top of them.

Finally exhaling, she lined up her first shot and took aim at the rear most soldier.

And fired.

Ruby kept her silver eyes exactly on the kink in the man's armor. Right between the crease of unprotected flesh at his neck.

The sound of her crossbow was muffled out by their conversation; but the moment the bolt buried itself into the man's neck, he grunted and slumped forward. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The heavy sound of him hitting the ground face first caused his fellow compatriots to turn around at the sound and look at him. It seemed that they were slow to act as still none of them unsheathed their weapons, so Ruby used it to her advantage.

Knowing each automatic crossbow clip only held five bolts; Ruby adjusted her aim and prepared to fire her remaining four projectiles.

Thunk thunk thunk thunk.

Ruby fired all four of her remaining bolts in quick succession at the gathered group of enemies, nailing three more with deadly accuracy but missing the last round.

"Ambush!"

Her enemies finally took notice of the events befalling them and unsheathed their weapons in alert. Ruby herself re-slung her crossbow; not bothering to reload, and grabbed her scythe hanging off her belt.

Pushing off the tree trunk she was leaning against, she surged forth towards the group of Haven troops. There were only four of them left with the other half dead at their feet, unmoving or writhing in agony as they chocked on their own blood taking in their final breaths.

The soldiers finally spotted her as they charged at Ruby with weapons drawn, but they had played into the small girl's plan. As soon as they all turned to face her; Ruby spotted Velvet jump out from behind her hiding spot with an arrow already in flight towards an enemy who was making his way towards Ruby.

Watching another amidst their group hit the ground Ruby rushed forward with her scythe already held firm with conviction.

The closest soldier to her lunged forward with his sword but Ruby was already ahead of him. The small girl leaned left and easily evaded the thrust, and brought the bladed end of her weapon around the man's body and dug it into his back with force.

Jerking her curved blade out of his back, Ruby took in the man's face. He was probably just in his late teens with short brown hair and black eyes that stared back at her with a muted anger but also with a look of bewilderment, as if he wasn't completely sure if he was in fact dying.

Ruby had seen the look countless times, and each time she paid it no mind. It was only a means to an end; if not them then it would be her, or someone she cared about. She moved aside; letting the boy's limp body crumble to the ground, and made her way to her next opponent.

She spotted Neptune locked in a clash with his own opponent, but it seemed like he was holding his own. Ruby refocused back on hers. The last lone soldier stopped their charge and froze. They looked back at their last remaining ally just in time to see Neptune dig his glaive into their stomach.

Ruby stood firm and held her weapon defensively; she'd let the last soldier charge at her, not the other way around. The Haven trooper finally turned their head and refaced Ruby and surged forward. They were wielding a shield and an axe and as they charged forward they held the shield as if were a battering ram, causing Ruby to dodge to her right as soon as they were in range.

As soon as the small girl side stepped, she swung her weapon right towards her opponent's back, but the lone soldier proved to not be as much as a pushover as the others; as they swung around with their shield and blocked the attack; sending a small vibration up Ruby's arms. Seeing her attack blocked brought an odd feeling to Ruby.

Suddenly she felt everything on her body. The cold sweat running down her cheeks, her hair that was matted to her forehead, the rough chaffs of her leather chest guard, and the loose dirt at her feet. Her senses seemed to energize at this moment as she narrowed down this feeling.

Joy.

An opponent that could hold their own made her ecstatic and that much more eager to fight, to prove herself.

With a newfound vigor, Ruby bounded forward, swaying from side to side and kept her eyes on her opponent as they readied their shield up once more. Her target was wearing a full faced helm so Ruby couldn't see their eyes; but she had a feeling they too were engrossed in this battle for their life.

Swinging her scythe around her small frame, Ruby watched her enemy hold their shield back as if waiting for the perfect moment to slam it against her. Finally reaching the apex of her weapon swing, she brought it towards her opponent's left side; watching them bring their shield up to block the attack.

Just like Ruby predicted.

She lifted her weapon up and brought it around to slam its dull edge right against their helmet knocking the Haven soldier off their feet and onto the ground. Ruby rushed forward and swung the bladed end of her scythe ready to deal the finishing blow, but the soldier rolled over on time; narrowly evading Ruby's blade as she dug it into the dirt.

The soldier got up and faced Ruby once more, just as she lifted her scythe out of the dirt. She could now see the soldier's face; as her last attack had knocked their helmet off. Ruby's opponent was a girl with dark green eyes that were filled with nothing but malice as her face was twisted into a snarl. Her brown hair cut short almost like Ruby's own.

Neither girl said a word as they rushed forward. Ruby noticed that the girl no longer wielded her shield and only gripped her hand axe. She'd be able to penetrate her defense easily now. Swinging her scythe around her right; the crimson haired girl whirled her weapon towards the girl's side; watching her continue charging forward despite their weapon's reaches. It was as if the girl knew she was going to die but wanted to take Ruby with her, but Ruby had other plans as she put as much force behind the swing as she could.

But without warning she felt herself freeze in her movements and lose her footing slightly. She couldn't move her weapon suddenly.

Glancing towards her right in confusion and slight fear, Ruby noticed her scythe was embedded into a tree trunk. Cold realization dawned on the young girl that she had not paid attention to her surroundings and played right into her adversary's hand. Quickly now, Ruby tried to pull her weapon free but she caught sight of the axe aimed right for her head as the girl was nearly on her.

But a flash of white quickly zipped past her and straight into her opponent's neck, causing the girl to drop her axe and fall flat on her back.

"You alright Red?"

Ruby whirled at the familiar voice and finally managed to wrestle her weapon free from the trunk of the tree. She watched as Velvet slung her bow around her head and onto her back as the girl hurried to her side.

"That was close, but you're okay!" Velvet said, her voice slightly hallow.

Ruby glanced back at the girl who almost ended her life and noticed the arrow sticking from her throat. It was indeed Velvet's own and she had saved her, yet again. Ruby eyed the girl's dark lifeless green eyes staring straight ahead as if they were focused solely on what was in front of them, right before she was killed.

Ruby turned back towards Velvet and saw Neptune slowly making his way towards them as well. Both her teammates were uninjured but shaken, probably from the fight Ruby guessed.

"S- So, n- not so bad, r- right?" Neptune asked nervously.

Ruby watched as the boy held his weapon over his shoulder shakily, the metal handle banging against his shoulder armor lightly.

Velvet's eyes seemed unfocused as the girl nodded her head slowly, glancing down at the eight dead bodies before the trio.

Ruby finally felt her adrenaline coming down, and re-sheathed her weapon. She glanced around at the dead bodies before back at her comrades. They looked as if they were in a daze and scared. But despite being in shock now, they had done admirably during the fight. Neither of them froze or ran during the battle and that was all that mattered.

First kills were different for everyone, and Ruby still remembered hers. She wouldn't rush their coming to terms with it, as the trio stood in the dark forest, surrounded by their dead enemies and alien feelings. They'd head back to camp when they were ready, there was no rush now.

It wasn't easy coming to terms with taking someone's life. And now it seemed as if the full weight of what they had signed up for was real; they were now forced to kill their fellow man.

And this was just only the beginning…

A/N: I heard from the grapevine that someone mentioned potential art that could be drawn for this story... :) lol.