Here's chapter 14, everyone.
Holding Myrtenaster in her left hand, Weiss took a breath and pointed it forward, feeling the breeze against her skin as her eyes were shut. "Focus." She said to herself as she waited for the right moment. Moments later, her eyes opened and the white haired teen swung her blade down, the wind dust in her weapon going off as it sliced through the air, hitting the tree in front of her.
After a few moments, the branch she specifically aimed for split in half and the part not connected to the tree fell to the ground.
Weiss smiled at that, securing her weapon on her hip. "The right moment." She said to herself, thinking about her dust training and how wind dust worked well when used at an appropriate time in correlation to the natural wind speed.
"Not bad, ice wolf." Yang's voice startled the white haired teen as she turned around to see the blonde and Ruby walking over to her. "Getting some practice in before initiation?"
"Well yes, but you know it would be nice not to sneak up on someone like that." Weiss grumbled.
"I did say something before walking over y'know. Heck, I could've just tapped you on the shoulder and you'd have freaked out even more." Yang pointed out with a grin.
"Ugh, yeah, yeah. So are you two actually going to practice a bit before we get started, or not?" Weiss asked, sighing a bit at a good breeze that hit her.
"Nah, we wanna save our strength for initiation. And besides, I'm not really sure they'd let us in the training hall till later." Yang answered.
Weiss shrugged. "I'm out here training, so I don't see why you two would need to have a training hall for that."
"Not saying we do. Just pointing out that I prefer hitting combat dummies myself." Yang explained, but she continued after a few seconds. "Still, I get why you're fine with it out here."
"You do?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
Ruby chuckled. "Well duh she gets it, Weiss. You love being outside."
Weiss blushed a little and rubbed the back of her head. "I suppose so, yes, but how does that correlate with how I train?"
"Everyone has their own training regiment, ice wolf." Yang remarked as she walked over and sat on the grass, patting both spots next to her for her sister and friend to sit. "I do practice outside sometimes myself, but I like having something that can hit back, and with Beacon I'm pretty sure they have courses for that stuff."
Ruby and Weiss sat on both sides of the blonde, as the white haired huntress in training hummed a little. "Control is a word I tend to think about sometimes…" She trailed off, not letting them know she thought about it much more than just sometimes.
"Hmm?" Ruby looked over her sister at her friend. "How come?"
Weiss pulled Myrtenaster from its resting place and laid it on the grass in front of her. "Patience. It falls in line with control, right? Don't answer that by the way." She sighed and after her friends let her take her time on continuing, she spoke again. "Sometimes I think about the patience of control, to wait for the right moment to strike, or to even say something, but what if someone can't wait, Ruby? What if you have to move without knowing it?"
Ruby thought about her words, and as they rang through her head, she had something in mind to say. "Well that just shows growth, at least I think so. Sure, by the book is helpful, but you can't plot out every move when you're in a fight. It's like trying to be a supercomputer."
Weiss chuckled a bit at the comparison. "Yeah, that sounds about right." She looked down at Myrtenaster. "I'd like to find a middle ground for it myself. Being patient, but also being able to fight based on my instincts."
Yang reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "Has anything been bothering you about this recently?" When Weiss shook her head, Yang sighed. "Are you sure?"
"I honestly am, Yang. I guess it's just being here has made me understand some things more, but made me question even more than I thought I knew as well." Weiss explained.
"Huh, you know I had a similar conversation last night with Blake." Yang said as she leaned back and looked up at the clouds. "I don't think it's fair to ask ourselves so much though… At least that's how I feel."
"Not fair? What do you mean?" Weiss inquired.
Yang kept her eyes locked onto the clouds as she let out a small smile. "We just got to Beacon yesterday. I doubt we'll get any of the answers we want for some time, so instead of bombarding ourselves with unanswerable questions, we should take in where we're at. We made it, Weiss!" Yang exclaimed as she lifted her arms up. "Beacon Academy! We've talked about it for years, and we're actually here!"
Weiss blinked a few times, realizing that Yang was right, so she let out a smile of her own. "Beacon… It really has been some time since all three of us spoke about this place." She gripped some grass and watched as it flew off when a gust of wind blew by. She watched the grass strands fly towards the forest, her next step. "It almost feels like a dream and I'll wake up back home…"
As she continued to look forward, Ruby grinned and slowly snuck behind her, leaning her hand over to pinch the white haired teen's arm, making her yelp in pain. "Hehe. Not a dream, Weiss."
Weiss growled a bit, turning around to glare at Ruby. "You dolt, I'm gonna freeze you to the ground so you'll miss initiation for that one!" As she was getting up, Ruby gasped and started running off, so Weiss gave chase. "Get back here!"
"Ahhhhhhhh! Yang stop her! I don't wanna miss initiation!" Ruby cried out for help as her sister started to laugh while watching the two.
"You're on your own for this one, sis!" Yang called out, sighing happily to herself as she turned back around, looking towards the Emerald Forest, though something in the back of her mind made her frown.
"I wonder if she still remembers I was gonna be out here today…"
Willow gasped when she felt Raven shaking her in her sleep. "W-What?" She groaned and sat up, looking around to see she was still in the cabin. "Huh? W-When did I fall asleep?"
"You collapsed last night on your last attempt." Raven said, getting into her line of sight. The black haired huntress was holding a cup of water. "Drink."
"I collapsed?" Willow asked as she accepted the cup and took a sip.
"That's what I said, yes." Raven said as she walked over to the table in the cabin, picking up what looked to be a dust crystal. "I told you overexerting yourself was a bad idea, but you just wouldn't listen."
Willow looked away, muttering a bit under her breath. "You're the one who said this wouldn't be easy…"
"I heard that, smartass, and I didn't say you had to go and knock yourself out either." Raven reminded as she threw Willow her coat. "Put that on and meet me outside." She walked out of the cabin, letting some of the cold air in again.
"Can't a woman have five minutes to wake up…" Willow complained as she began putting her coat and pants on. Once she finished up tieing her boots, she looked out the window, seeing Raven setting up some wood outside. "A campfire?"
As she stepped outside, Raven looked over, sighing at her attire. "Come on over and sit on one of the logs."
Willow didn't complain that time as she took a seat on one of them, silently groaning at how uncomfortable it felt. "I thought I was just trying to learn how to control my aura, not learn survival training."
"Good, you caught on to what this is." Raven noted. "It's not that different from learning control of your aura. If you toughen yourself up a bit more, it could help you not feel so strained when you try using your aura."
"Maybe, but I still don't see why we're taking this day by day in different courses." Willow grumbled a bit.
"Because I know if Summer tried training you, she'd be way too soft. You still want to keep yourself safe so your kids won't lose a mother, right?" Raven played that card, though she felt a little bad about it, it was Willow's current trigger.
"I-I…" Willow groaned. "That's not exactly fair to use on me."
"No, but people out there won't play fair. They'll play for keeps, Willow." Raven reminded. "So just take my advice and learn the basics. It'll help you more than you know."
"I'm not a child, Raven. I understand what synergy means." Willow commented.
Raven smirked. "If that's right then you won't complain anymore about what I put you through. It's only day two and setting up a basic campfire to use for food shouldn't be all that hard for you. I mean, unless being in that manor all day has kept you too soft."
Willow growled in anger. "Just get the fire started."
"Nuh uh." Raven tossed her the red dust crystal she grabbed from the table. "That's your job, and don't worry, there's plenty of snow around here to get the flames off if you end up burning yourself."
Hearing that made Willow tense up. "E-Excuse me?"
Raven grinned. "Like I said, you need to learn. So figure out how to use that crystal and start making that fire. I'm hungry after all and I don't feel like waiting more than thirty minutes." With another groan, Willow started to get to work on it, while Raven leaned against the walls of the cabin, keeping a close eye on the white haired woman.
Blake walked down one of the many halls of Beacon, sighing to herself as she still limped a bit. It was annoying her, but she knew that she'd have to deal with it for just a bit longer. After turning a corner though, she saw a few students talking with each other. A few of them asking what initiation would be like, while others talked about how they were nervous.
The black haired girl shook her head. "Being nervous now? Ugh, why come here if you won't face your battles head on?" She stopped herself for a moment. It hit her on what she had just said in her head, so she sighed to herself. "What am I even saying…"
Her right leg felt like it was about to lose balance, so she leaned against a wall and clenched her fist. She'd never show it, but the pain she felt wasn't really physical. The message behind it was what truly hurt her.
"How long can I keep this up for…"
"Hey, Blake." Yang's voice ran through Blake's ears, making her turn to see the blonde walking over. "You feeling okay? Kinda leaning up against that wall at a weird angle."
"I-I'm fine." Blake responded, straightening herself up.
Yang looked down to see her right leg twitch a little, so she frowned. "You didn't go to the nurse?"
Blake glared at her and crossed her arms. "I thought you said you wouldn't pester me about that."
"I mean… Yeah, but initiation is about to start." Yang said in a concerned tone. "That's not the best way to-."
"Don't start. I'm serious." Blake said as she took a step forward, getting right in Yang's face. "I'm not here looking for the easy way out."
Yang backed up a bit, taking in how serious the black haired girl looked, so she rubbed the back of her blonde mane. "S-Sorry. Do you… want me to go?"
It took a few moments for Blake to calm down, but when she was, she sighed to herself and shook her head. "I… I just don't want people bothering me about this."
"And I know I promised, but I've been the only one who has asked you about it… At least I think I have been." Yang remarked.
"Even so, the monsters out there can't do much to us. I mean, if you're caught off guard, maybe, but the Emerald Forest is a lot more tame than people make it out to be." Blake stated.
"Uh, I don't know about that. I heard it's gotten a bit more dangerous in the past couple of years, which is why they changed the way initiation goes." Yang explained.
"Well I still don't think I'll have that much of a problem." Blake stated with not so much confidence, but more so denial on needing help.
Yang heard the speaker turn on and listened in. "All first year students in section 1A, report to the cliffs immediately."
"Huh, I'm in 1A. You?" Yang asked as she looked back down at the black haired girl, who simply nodded to answer. "Awesome, well come on then." She offered her hand to Blake, who looked at the offer, but she turned around and started walking, making Yang groan as she walked behind her, keeping up the pace.
Ruby was shivering a bit as she had pieces of ice still stuck to her combat attire, sneezing a bit as she pouted. "I can't believe you actually froze me…"
"Oh stop whining. It was just a little cold air." Weiss said as she and Ruby were standing side by side on the platforms that were set up on the cliff. "Now hold still." She held Myrtenaster out and kept it next to Ruby, turning to dust chamber on it to the fire crystal. The blade began emitting some warmth that melted the rest of the ice off of the rose girl. "There, all better."
After a few more seconds of feeling the heat of the dust crystal, Ruby rubbed her nose and shook her head. "Woo, that felt kinda nice."
"Well maybe I should freeze you more often so you'd need my portable heater." Weiss smirked at her friend, who yelped at her suggestion.
"N-No way!" Ruby yelled, but gasped when Glynda shushed her.
"If you're all done talking," Glynda said as she glared at Ruby, but turned her attention back to all of the students there. "It's time to begin initiation."
Ozpin was standing next to her, so he spoke up next. "To explain, you'll all enter the Emerald Forest. In it are beasts that will not wait on you, nor will they care for who you are. In their eyes, you are prey, so do not hesitate, or you will die." Some of the students gulped, and Ozpin continued. "Some of you have voiced your concern about the changes made to initiation in recent years." He took a breath. "I'll say this, teams will still be constructed properly here, meaning the first person you make eye contact with in the forest, is who you will be partnered up with for the next four years."
Silence took over for a few moments, as the wind blew passed the students. Ruby blinked a few times, finally taking in what the headmaster had said. "WHAT?!"
Her concern was ignored and Ozpin spoke again. "Your objective is to find the relics placed in the forest. Bring it back here and you will pass. If you cannot within the next five hours, you will fail."
One of the students raised their hand, showing it was Jaune. "Um, sir. What happens if we fail?"
"You will not be attending this school." Ozpin bluntly answered, making him slowly lower his hand as he gulped.
"Oh…" Jaune looked nervous, but he was startled when he felt someone holding his shoulder. He turned to see a scarlet haired girl. "Uh… Yes?"
"Don't worry. I'm sure they give us more than enough time to get the relics and make it back." The girl smiled, trying to assure the boy that he'd be fine.
Jaune was still nervous, but he took a breath and mentally told himself to just fight it out. "R-Right. Okay, sure…" He raised his hand again. "Um, sir, are we just going to be walking in or-."
"You will be falling." Ozpin cut him off, taking a sip of his coffee before speaking with Glynda about something. Once the professor nodded, she took her leave per request of the headmaster to prep the other students who will be taking the night course of initiation.
"Falling?" Jaune looked down at the platform he was on, while the girl he was talking to was preparing her spear as she got in a battle stance.
The blonde haired boy looked back and forth between the students there and noticed they were all getting in their own stance. His eyes widened and as soon as he realized what was about to happen, all of the students were launched from their platforms into the forest, with the boy screaming on the way out.
Weiss looked over to her right as she soared in the air, seeing Jaune tumbling away, so she sighed and shook her head. "I hope he lands in a tree for his sake." She focused back on her own decent, swapping over to wind dust as she smirked and caught herself on top of a mini tornado that slowed her decent till she landed on the ground. "Okay… Time to go."
So I don't wanna just skip initiation, since there are things that happen in it. Important details that obviously can't be ignored, and this version of initiation will be slightly different with what and how they fight.
To JJ- Ruby is one that I feel can understand what it means to be a huntress the best, so yeah, I had her being the one to say it. With Yang, I wrote her in other stories as always fun loving, but for this story, she has that, but also a mature side, so I'm glad you could see that too.
To Lionheart- It's not about carrying clothes. It's about the change after. To her, it's embarrassing to have to change into her clothes each time she becomes a wolf, since, well, y'know, she's naked after changing back.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 14. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 15.