The next morning was pleasantly quiet.

Overnight, the fire had died out. Despite that, it wasn't cold. In fact, it was pleasingly warm.

The only sounds that reached her ears were Ruby's light snores and Weiss' steady breathing.

Yang couldn't fathom a better way to wake up.

It was true she slept on a hard wooden floor, but that was nothing compared to the cell she lazed in all those years. This time, she felt spoiled and was even sprawled out on layers of the finest quality fur blankets, courtesy of the former queen of Vale.

When an item was from any member of the former royal family, it was undoubtedly valuable.

A light, comfy pressure was just behind Yang. Her sister. If she saw Ruby's dozing face, she'd probably be drooling.

In front of her was the angel in her arms.

She hadn't stirred or moved. The only thing Yang felt from her was the soft rise and fall of her chest.

Her girlfriend's heart was in the perfect rhythm.

Weiss' back faced the blonde, so unfortunately for Yang, she couldn't watch her peaceful, resting face. With a smile, Yang pulled her in for an embrace. The girl was already close to her, but not close enough.

Yang set her chin between her fluffy, white lion ears. The blonde lovingly kissed the top of each floppy ear and almost squealed in delight. They were even softer than she remembered. Possibly softer than a chinchilla's silky fur.

Was it selfish to think her faunus ears are one of her girlfriend's cutest traits? To Yang, there was so much more to love about her girlfriend, but the ears were easily at the top of the list.

It's a shame Weiss kept that part of herself hidden for so long. Then again, if the ex-princess had told Yang about her hidden appendages while they were stuck in those cells, she would've stared at them all day.

It'd be torture not to be able to touch them!

Yang supposed it was a good thing Weiss waited to tell her the well-hidden secret. Otherwise, she would have suffered a great deal.

Only able to stare at them...

"Nngh…" a soft groan. "Yang?"

Perhaps the kisses roused her girlfriend. The blonde felt guilty for waking her up, but supposed it'd happen eventually.

"Mornin' sleepyhead," Yang greeted.

Slowly, Weiss lifted her head to focus on the window. Bleary azure pools landed on the glass. Rays from the sun crept in and illuminated the cabin. Blue eyes widened and there was a hint of alarm in her voice.

"How long has it been daylight?"

"Not sure. I only woke up a little ago."

Weiss moved her arms to sit up, but Yang tightened her grip and trapped her in an embrace.

"What are you doing?" Weiss questioned.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"We must travel back-"

"Not now," the blonde interjected. "We're all exhausted from yesterday. Just relax for once, okay?"

It was true. Normally, Weiss was an early riser. Based on the position of the sun, it was almost noon. The girls fell asleep early last night and hadn't even woke up until a little ago. Not to mention Ruby hadn't even roused. Her snores were still in the background.

A heavy sigh rang out and Weiss gave in. "Only a little longer."

If she was honest with herself, she didn't want to get out of this intimate position, anyways. Taking her girlfriend's advice, Weiss loosened into the embrace. Her tight muscles went slack as she faced her grinning girlfriend.

"You know, Mr. Xiao Long will worry."

"He'll worry even more if we go out there unprepared," Yang immediately retorted.

"True."

"Here," to ease her, Yang softly rubbed both lion ears.

A tiny squeal emitted from Weiss and her cheeks flushed red. Instantly, Yang removed her hands and placed them on the back of her girlfriend's head instead.

"Sorry, did I cross a line? You looked so worried I got this urge to."

"It- it was unexpected is all," Weiss assured. "You can rub them if you want."

"W-wait, really?"

It was true Yang rubbed the cute ears while her girlfriend was asleep, but she never thought she'd get legitimate permission. Deep down, the blonde knew it didn't bother her girlfriend. It was a matter of if Weiss was okay with being seen embarrassed.

"You may," the lion faunus smiled.

"Yes!" came the victorious cheer.

"Hush," Weiss whispered. "We might wake Ruby."

"Oops."

In the soothing silence, Yang massaged her girlfriend's ears. The smaller girl's posture relaxed in the embrace and she allowed her ears to go limp from the pleasurable contact. Subconsciously, a smile graced her lips.

Weiss realized her eyes had drifted shut so she could enjoy the moment, but opened them to gaze up at her beautiful girlfriend. With all her soul, Weiss thought Yang was the most adorable thing when she was excited about just touching her. By just making contact with a natural part of her.

Unable to resist, Weiss leaned in and pecked her nose.

"Does it feel better?"

"Yeah," the blonde said, her cheeks flushed red. "All thanks to you~"

A slight giggle.

"How's the bite?" Yang whispered.

"Can't even feel it."

"Good. That dog should be glad he didn't run into me."

"I told you, Anchises was a good boy. You would like him."

"He bit you," Yang pointed out. "Anything that hurts you will get pummeled by me."

The ex-princess smirked. "What about Zwei?"

"Doggy heaven will have another visitor," Yang stated with a little laugh.

"That's taking it too far, brute," Weiss smiled.

"Guess I'll let him off with'a warning."

"How kind of you."

Unable to help herself, Weiss leaned in for a kiss. Yang was so cute when she smiled. To Weiss, her sunny grin was one of the best features about her.

At first, Yang was taken aback when their lips met, having not expected it.

In a mere second, she melted into it and kissed her back.

A pale hand rested on the back of Yang's head and pulled her in closer.

Yang leaned in as Weiss' tongue glided along the edge of her lips. In silent permission, Yang opened her mouth, which allowed Weiss' tongue to shoot forward.

A spark of electricity.

Their eager wet muscles entwined in an intricate dance.

Their vigor and passion for each other grew.

Somehow during the heat of the moment, Yang rolled over and bore down on the girl, matching her girlfriend's ferocity. Her strong hands straddled either side of the ex-princess' shoulders. This elicited a soft moan from Weiss, but it was muffled with their mouths ensnared.

Yang was as red as a tomato when she felt Weiss' gentle and feather-like touches, yet as her silken hands continued to roam along her body, she never ventured too far.

Their kissing sounded like ocean waves washing on a beach. Neither of them has ever felt this intoxicated for the other before. The comfort and presence they found in each other clouded their minds as they came together in a heat of passion.

After several seconds in this manner, the two pulled apart with smiles.

There was a yearning in lilac and azure eyes.

Yang could only gaze down at her girlfriend as the warm and fuzzy feeling overflowed her being.

Weiss let her arms fall behind her. Her white hair sprawled over the sheets in a blanket of snow. Her wrists settled above her head and a sly smile formed as if she was inviting her girlfriend to pin them down.

As Weiss gazed up at Yang, she noticed her normal, gentle violet eyes shifted to a feral appearance.

She liked that.

"Someone's frisky," Yang murmured.

"Am not!"

Weiss' cheeks flushed even redder if that was possible.

With a smirk, slowly, Yang leaned down to get at the same level as her girlfriend's sensitive ears. When her mouth was right next to them, she murmured.

"Are too."

The seductive comment caused shivers to shoot up Weiss' spine. Her breath was gentle and tickled her delicate ears.

A loud, obviously fake cough.

"Ahem!"

In horror, the freezerburn couple whipped their heads in the direction of the noise.

It was Ruby, who didn't look amused.

"H-hey, Ruby," Yang greeted while she was still on top of her girlfriend. "Nice day we're havin.'"

"For you, yeah," Ruby crossed her arms.

The couple was frozen in place, not knowing how to continue.

"Guuuuuuuuys, come on, I'm right here!" Ruby whined.

"Yes, we are painfully aware of that," Weiss stated feebly.

"Awesome," Ruby chirped. An even more awkward silence. As Yang maneuvered herself off her girlfriend, Ruby continued. "Don't mind me. I'm just getting down and dirty in the same room as my freaking sister!"

"Sorry, Rubes. I forgot you were in here. You know how much of a handful the princess is."

The moment Yang removed herself, Weiss sat up in a fluster. She chose to ignore her girlfriend's playful remark. "This is sufficiently awkward."

"Don't blame me!" Ruby yelped.

Yang just grinned.

"You sure picked a bad time to wake up."

It's so nice out.

As usual, Blake was on patrol. Except for today, she was outside and enjoying the weather. This time of year, the flowers were in full bloom. It would take a little while longer for the leaves to change color.

Her chin was tilted up and her cat ears stood on end as she glided along the white castle's perimeter. There was a railing that protected people from falling in the trench that guarded the castle. It was like a mote, but it wasn't filled with water.

The spy was on the outside of the railing on the kingdom's side, so she had to scoot past some citizens. Most citizens recognized her and cleared the way along the railing.

It was a common spot for people to gather if they wanted a good view of the white castle.

Blake was pleased to see that most humans she encountered weren't plagued with fear at her faunus ears.

"Mama, look!" a little human boy pointed at Blake. "It's the cool captain!"

The spy whirled around, glad to see the smiling child.

The older woman next to him pat her boy on the head and stared at her. "Captain Belladonna," she addressed. "You saved my father when Carnation was raided. I never had the chance to thank you."

Blake waved her hands. "It was no problem. I was just doing my job."

"You fought amongst your ranks," the mother dipped her head. "Thank you. It must've been troublesome."

"Ma'am, please raise your head," Blake said and gave her a slight curtsey. "I accept your gratitude."

A small smile.

"What you did was soooooo cool!" the child beamed. "Keep at it!"

"Max," his mother addressed. "Be polite."

"Ah, right! Where're my manners? Thanks a bunch, miss!"

For some reason, Blake felt warm and fuzzy inside. She certainly didn't expect to be thanked like this.

"It was no trouble," Blake easily replied and turned on her heel. "Have a good day."

With that, the mother and child went on their way in the opposite direction.

How odd. I got thanked for doing something I believe in. That might be a first. After helping Yang and Weiss.

After that encounter, she was deep in thought. She also lost herself in the sweet aroma of the nearby lilies.

Every now and then, her cat ears would flick at the sound of birds chirping or people chatting.

I wonder how Ruby and them are doing. If the mission went well.

Unfortunately, other captains were tasked with patrolling the castle's border. The green and gray specs in the distance put her in a foul mood.

Most of the time, she was assigned to patrol the interior of the white castle. This time, she, along with other coworkers, stalked the exterior.

It was nice to get some fresh air every once in a while. In fact, Blake liked this a lot more. The sounds of other people chatting reminded her that she's not alone. The bustling of the kingdom put her at ease, unlike most times when it was stifling.

"Yo, Blake," a fellow captain greeted. "Having a good time?"

"Hey, Mercury," Blake replied. "It'd be hard to have a bad time in this weather."

"Fair enough."

The cat faunus didn't mind talking to the gray-haired boy. He was more amusing than anything. It was the leech that was always with him that posed a problem.

"Why are you always on the same schedule as us?" the green-haired girl irritably asked. "It's annoying seeing your face so often."

"Nice to see you, too, Em," Blake replied with a knowing smirk.

"For the millionth time, don't call me that!" Emerald barked. "That pisses me off."

"Exactly why I do it," Blake nonchalantly stated.

If there was one thing Blake learned from conversing with Emerald, it was to not take any of her crap. Plus, throwing the sass and watching her reactions was always fun. At least to her.

"Go hiss at a tree."

Blake's eyes twitched from the racist insult.

Mercury gave his partner a disapproving look. He preferred to stay out of these petty arguments, but never liked it when Emerald resorted to racism.

With a plan, the spy said in a sarcastically sweet voice. "The queen summoned me the other day."

"What?" that caught Emerald's interest. "Why?"

It wasn't often a captain was summoned to the throne, but it happened to Blake more times than she could count.

"Fashion advice," the cat faunus revealed. "Our queen is insecure."

"How dare you say that about her!" Emerald snapped.

"Hit a nerve, huh?" Blake asked in amusement. "I'm just stating facts. There's no need to get so defensive."

"That makes no sense why did she ask you? She can't stand you," Emerald said. "Usually she asks me."

"She said you're incompetent," Blake lied with her signature sly smile.

"What?" Emerald yelped. "That's not true."

Blake shrugged. "Think what you want."

Emerald looked like she was contemplating life with a conflicted expression. Blake was sure she shattered her confidence from that one remark.

"She wouldn't say that about me."

Unfortunately, her faith in her queen shined.

"Keep telling yourself that," the spy stated.

Ultimately, Emerald stormed away to the sea of citizens. As she did so, Blake cupped her hands over her mouth.

"She also said that I'm her favorite captain!"

Now Emerald knew for sure she was lying and twirled around.

"Good one, stupid cat!"

The green-haired girl disappeared into the busy kingdom.

Now that Emerald was gone, Mercury felt it was safe to address Blake.

"It's entertaining when she gets mad, but she's even more brutal to me," he admitted. "Try not to let her bother you."

"Does Moss have a soft spot for me after all?" Blake asked in a teasing tone.

Due to Emerald's earlier racist remarks, Blake had no qualms for poking fun at her green hair.

"Only for Cinder and Cinder only," Mercury sighed.

Blake's lips quirked to a sly smile. "You seem disappointed."

"Tch, yeah right."

Before Blake could question him further, there was a loud, low growl sound. Cat ears flicked to the direction of the frequency, which was below their feet and just past the railing.

"What was that?" Blake hesitantly asked, doubtful he had an answer.

"Bears."

"Bears?"

"Bears."

"Care to elaborate?" Blake asked. "What do you mean by bears?"

"Exactly what I said."

To explain, Mercury sauntered over to the edge of the perimeter of the castle. Tall railings blocked him from walking any farther.

Below, the ground was about fifteen feet deep. If anyone fell into the abyss, it would be instant death.

The railings surrounded the white castle along with the trench. To keep people from falling in.

The only way to enter the castle was if the slab of wood was lowered to cross.

"They're down there," Mercury pointed.

Thinking he was joking, Blake joined his side and peered down. She was well aware of this gaudy trench, but didn't give it much thought.

Sure enough, there were several bears grunting and growling below.

"What the hell?!"

Not only was there plenty of space for the wild animals, but there was plenty of vegetation. Grass covered the ground and trees towered above. There were some boulders and extra plants to keep the brown bears content.

This unsettled her.

How long has this been a thing?

"I know right?" Mercury asked. "Fucking bizarre if you ask me. Can't believe you didn't know."

"I-I just thought the gap was for security so people couldn't get inside the castle. Not this."

Mercury smirked and crossed his arms as he stared at the brown bears. "Think of this as a two in one deal."

"When the hell did we get bears?"

How did I not know? This is a whole new problem.

"They're pretty new. Just a few months," Mercury informed. "You probably missed them because you're usually inside the castle."

"Has anyone been eaten?"

"Two people so far, but that was their own damn fault," Mercury stated. "Drunk soldiers."

"Were you there?"

"Nah, Adam told me about it. He said that one of them dared the other to jump in."

Blake gave him an exasperated look.

"Drunk people don't make the best decisions," Mercury said knowingly. "So he did. His buddy jumped in when he realized he was getting mauled."

"Oh my god…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Surprise, surprise, they were both killed. Their third friend stumbled away to get help but it was too late."

"That's horrible…" Blake murmured.

"Eh, it's natural selection."

Blake was left to gawk at the giant bears. They must've been a family if the animals weren't tearing each other to shreds.

"It was nice talking to you, Blake, but I gotta go," Mercury said.

The spy was almost too busy with her jaw dropped at the sight.

"Later," she airily replied.

When Mercury was a few feet away, he jokingly yelled.

"Don't fall in!"

The drunk soldier story is legit. Another thing I learned while I was in Prague!

Stay dandy,

~Toto