A roaring bear faunus burst through the door, his snarling face appearing through the cloud of wood fragments. Maia calmly raised her pistol and fired twice, both bullets exiting through the side of his head. The bear's face went slack, his body immediately going limp and dropping to the floor.

At the same time, some sort of cat faunus broke through the kitchen window, her large black and white stripped ears pressed against her head. She landed in a crouch on the floor, shaking her head free of wood splinters as she gazed about the room. Thick flakes of snow swirled in through the broken shutters.

Ruby hesitated for a slight moment, surprised at her opponent's method of entry, then threw her baton at the intruder. The spinning mass of metal caught the cat faunus on the forehead, making her let out a surprised yowl.

"That's not how you're supposed to use a baton, Rose!" Maia shouted, ducking under the table as bullets came whizzing through the front entrance.

Ruby ignored the rabbit, her heart pounding as she leapt at the stunned cat. The cat recovered just as Ruby vaulted over the kitchen counter, ducking under Ruby's first swing as she put a hand to her belt. The faunus' hands were a blur as she took out several thin blades, twirling them between her fingers.

Ruby swung her knee upwards, hoping to catch the cat in the head, but the cat was already gone, perched on top of the counter, her yellow eyes wide as she stared at Ruby. Ruby ignored the odd sensation in her stomach as she dived forward once again, her arms outstretched as she reached for the cat.

While Maia was busy with the firefight, Ruby ran after the cat faunus, knocking over plates and smashing through cabinets as she swung at her agile opponent. The faunus continued dodging, staying out of Ruby's reach as Ruby cracked the stone countertops with each swing, her fists pounding into the stone and sending shards flying.

Ruby reinforced her fingers with more aura to lessen the damage done to her fingers as she tried to catch the faunus. With a growl, Ruby disappeared in a burst of rose petals, making the cat faunus blink in surprise.

Ruby was behind her in an instant, and quickly locked her fingers around her opponent's neck. The cat faunus' muscles immediately went taught, her hands scrabbling at Ruby's fingers as she tried to free herself. Ruby grinned, revealing her teeth as she bent down to rip out her throat.

Ruby's left arm went limp. Her grip loosened and her arm fell to her side as the cat faunus freed herself from Ruby's other hand. The cat's neck was splotchy red and her throat was making an odd rattling sound as she staggered away, coughing. Ruby stared at the kitchen knife lying lengthwise in her upper arm, a trickle of blood coming out of the wound. The cut was shallow, her aura having stopped the knife before it could go deeper, but it had obviously still hit something important.

The cat faunus had backed up to the shutter again, still gasping and coughing as she climbed up the counter. Seeing that her prey was about to escape, Ruby slid the knife out of her arm and threw it at the cat faunus, catching her in the back as she tumbled out of the window frame. Just before the cat faunus disappeared from Ruby's view, a pair of muscular arms caught her and gently lowered her to the ground.

A dog faunus stuck his head through the window, his teeth bared and his eyes wide with fury. He had sharp triangular ears, his hair a blend of orange and black, and his umbra-colored eyes were gleaming in the night. Despite the cold, he only wore a leather vest and dark blue jeans, steam rising into the air as he glared at her. His arm muscles bulging, he flung himself through the window, taking Ruby by surprise as he tackled her.

Ruby threw out her right fist, catching his left arm, but his right fist slammed into her chin, making her see stars as she flew back across the counter, hitting the side of the couch and bouncing to the ground.

"Rose!" Maia screamed, pointing the gun at the dog and firing.

Clearly possessing quicker reflexes than the bear faunus, the dog had already ducked behind the counter, the bullets glancing harmlessly of the stone surface.

Taking advantage of the distraction, a lynx stepped into the room, her face in a rictus of anger as she fired at the thick desk Maia was hiding behind. She held a black handgun in each hand, forcing Maia to stay behind cover as she laid down a hail of bullets.

"You killed him, you bitch!" the lynx shouted.

A glimmer of tears showed on her face as she ran out of bullets in both guns. She deftly handled the weapons, dropping the magazines from each and slipping fresh ones into each gun at the same time, taking only a moment to spare a glance for her fallen partner, the bear faunus slumped on the floor in a growing puddle of blood.

The solid wooden desk flew upwards, catching the lynx unawares and making her scream with pain as her forearms shattered, the desk pinning her to the ground as her handguns flew out of her grip. She writhed in pain beneath the desk, her broken arms making her unable to push the heavy weight off of her.

Maia looked towards Ruby, glimpsing the dog faunus jumping across the counter and at Ruby. She quickly fired the remaining three bullets in her magazine, swearing as they barely nicked her quickly-moving target. Cursing her lack of ammo, she began to run toward Ruby but suddenly stopped, her ears twitching.

The rabbit faunus immediately dropped to the ground, flattening her ears as a sleek motorcycle flew through the front door and skimmed her ponytail as it roared past her. The motorcycle slammed into the wall and sent a cloud of dust flying up, its twisted metal scattering across the floor as it broke into pieces.

Ruby was trying to fend off the dog as they rolled around on the ground. Her head was still ringing as she wildly punched with her good arm, though her aura has protected her from the brunt of the blow. Her left arm was beginning to heal already, the muscle fibers trying to twist back together. The dog was slamming fists into her body, trying to break through her aura before she could recover. Ruby managed to get her good arm around his neck for a second, squeezing, but the dog faunus instantly reacted, grabbing her wrist and throwing her across the room and into the wall. Ruby took the brief respite to find her footing, glaring at the faunus that was running toward her.

A man stepped through the door, ignoring the crying of the lynx beneath the table as he unsheathed his swords. The wolf faunus wore a white dress shirt and black dress pants, his brown tufted ears clearly visible through his hair. His feral yellow eyes glanced around the room, focusing on Maia as a target.

Maia took a moment to analyze the situation, looking at the empty gun in her hand. She then whipped it at the faunus' face, throwing the pistol with all of her strength. The wolf faunus let out a low laugh, deflecting the pistol to the ground.

But Maia had already accomplished her goal, using the distraction to dive and pick up the two handguns the lynx had dropped, rolling and bringing them up to point them at her opponent. The wolf faunus howled at her, realizing his disadvantage and immediately charging her head on.

Maia paused in surprise as the ammo clips dropped out of the guns. The lynx had been hit with the table mid-way through reloading and she hadn't been able to lock the clips in place. Then the wolf was upon her, swinging his blades, forcing Maia to use the guns to parry his sword blows.

Meanwhile Ruby was wrestling with the dog again, a sharp discomfort spiking through her stomach when she was thrown facedown onto the floor. She rolled right-side up and kicked out with both legs, knocking the dog away and cracking his ribs from the force of the blows.

Ruby took the chance to look down at her stomach. Her t-shirt had three red bloodstains, each spreading from a hole in her shirt. A piece of metal protruded from one of the holes, the tiny blade sliding out easily as Ruby quickly pulled it free.

Saliva flecked with blood was dripping from the dog's mouth, Ruby's traded blows having clearly having done significant damage to him. Despite the fact that he hadn't been able to take down her aura, he charged Ruby again, his legs pumping as he closed the gap between them.

The moment the dog was in range, Ruby brought up the blade and shoved it through the underside of his jaw. His growls quickly turned to panicked whines as he realized what had happened, his arms flailing uselessly against Ruby as she ignored his punches and held onto his shoulder.

With a savage grin, she pulled the knife out and speared it through his eye, careful not to damage his brain and end her fun prematurely. His whines now turned into screaming. Vitreous fluid leaked from his punctured and deflated eye, the jelly-like substance dripping down his face and smearing Ruby's hand. Ruby pulled out the knife and began to work on his other eye, slicing it open. The dog faunus tried to bite her desperation, his mouth gnashing in fear and pain. She shoved the knife into his mouth, cleaving his tongue in two as the dog retched, the taste of his own fluids making him vomit.

Maia was losing her footing, the wolf faunus pushing her back bit by bit in a whirlwind of steel. A few shallow cuts appeared on her arms, her aura able to stop most of the attacks but not entirely nullify them. Realizing she couldn't keep this up forever, Maia decided to make a move.

The rabbit faunus pretended to take a step back, shifting her stance, then kicked up one of the loaded magazines from the ground. The wolf instinctively swiped it out of the air, unwilling to let Maia get her hands on the ammo. The next magazine flew up too, and he also flung that to the side. The two handguns were then thrown at his face, forcing him to bring his swords up to stop the chunks of metal from breaking his jaw.

And then Maia was right next to him, grabbing his sword blades with her bare hands and grimacing. Aura flared around her hands, stopping the swords after they had penetrated only a few millimeters into her skin. The two were locked in a struggle for a few seconds, spittle flying from the wolf faunus' mouth as he panted.

His expression turned panicked as the swords slowly began moving towards his body. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his arms trembled as Maia pushed down, driving the swords back into his arms. Blood bloomed on his shirt as the sword bit into him, his grip weakening as his wrists twisted.

"I give up!" the wolf shouted, his voice hoarse with terror.

"Drop the swords," Maia ordered.

The wolf gulped, letting go of the weapons and immediately stumbling back. Maia flipped a sword around, still holding the blade as she slammed the hilt into his head, dropping him to the floor.

Maia leaned the swords against the upturned table, wiping her bloody palms on her pants and turning to watch Ruby. The bloodstained girl was preparing to finish the wolf faunus off. The faunus was trying to crawl away on all fours as she stood over him, grabbing his hair and pulling his head back. Multiple puncture wounds decorated his face and his clothing was filled with numerous tears.

"Re-" she corrected herself "-Rose, it's over. You don't need to kill him."

Ruby turned at the sound of her voice, her expression showing no signs of recognition as she stared at the brilliant blue hair. The dog faunus slumped to the floor as she let go of him, pulling her tiny knife out of his side. She clutched the metal blade in her hand as she stalked towards Maia, her slow pace sending shivers up the rabbit faunus' spine as Ruby drew closer.

Maia grabbed a sword off of the table, holding it out in front of her. "Rose, snap out of it."

Ruby kept walking forward, her expression hungry. Maia's hands trembled ever-so-slightly as Ruby continued her pace, her arms and legs moving mechanically as she ignored the blade and stretched her hand out toward the rabbit. Maia panicked and thrust the sword forward, the tip of the blade parting her shirt. A new spot of blood bloomed between her breasts, the cold steel sinking into her flesh as the metal worked its way into her sternum.

And then Ruby sucked in a breath, the simple blade falling out of her hand as she took a step back. Maia jerked in surprise, barely stopping herself from running the girl through.

Ruby took a moment to find her voice, rubbing a hand over her chest and trying to wipe the blood away. "I'm okay, Maia." Her own internal turmoil contradicted her words, her damaged and aura-starved body clamoring for blood as her reason tried to suppress the hunger. "I'm okay."

Maia lowered the sword back down to her side. "You sure? I've seen people in bloodlust before, and it wasn't pretty." She indicated the chair that was previously at the desk and somehow miraculously still standing. "Why don't you sit down for a moment while I sort all of this out?"

Ruby blinked, trying to restore order to her mind as she rubbed her sticky palms on her shirt. "Yeah, that would be good."

She watched as Maia rummaged through her bag, bringing out a set of handcuffs and securing the wolf on the floor.

The rabbit dragged him over to Ruby. "Keep an eye on him. If he wakes up, just hold him down and try not to kill him."

The lynx was unconscious under the table, the white tips of her broken bones protruding from her skin. Her breaths were shallow, the wooden structure slowly smothering her. Maia carefully lifted the table off of her body, making sure not to injure her further.

"Rose, can you grab me a towel from the closet?"

Ruby nodded, running down the hallway and grabbing a towel. As she walked back to Maia, the rabbit faunus had taken two sticks from the tinder pile, breaking off pieces to shorten them.

Maia took the towels from Ruby's hands. "Thanks."

She pulled the unconscious faunus' bones back into place, then used the makeshift bandages and the splint to support and immobilize her arm. Then she took out another pair of handcuffs from her bag and shackled the lynx's wrists together.

Ruby was impressed. "How many of those do you have?"

"A lot," Maia assured her. "I come prepared. Besides, they can also be used as makeshift weapons."

The next person she attended to was the dog. The pitiful faunus was curled up on the floor, his eyelids a mangled mess as he wept bloody tears.

"Did you really have to stab him in the eyes?" Maia asked as she handcuffed the unresisting dog faunus and bound a bandage around his eyes.

Ruby shrugged. "Well, he was trying to bite me, and I found a knife in my stomach, so…"

"Right," Maia said, sticking her head out of the window. "Give me a second."

She vaulted the windowsill, landing on her feet and running toward the motorcycles outside. Ruby got out of her chair and walked over to the window, watching as Maia dragged the cat faunus out of the snowstorm and back toward the house. A trail of blood marked her desperate struggle to the motorcycle, her legs mostly paralyzed as she feebly struggled in Maia's grasp.

Ruby sat back down in her chair as Maia pulled the cat faunus in through the front door, the kitchen knife still protruding from her back. Her skin was deathly pale from the blood loss and the freezing temperatures, her eyes a little unfocused as she shivered.

Upon seeing the dog faunus, she wailed, fresh tears pouring from her eyes as she saw him lying in fetal position, the white strip of cloth wrapped around his head. Maia handcuffed her as she grew limp, weeping in horror.

"Let me see him," she mumbled numbly, pointing toward the dog faunus.

Maia opened her mouth to deny her request, but stopped herself, taking a moment to observe the situation before carrying her and setting her down next to the dog. The cat faunus stroked his ears, murmuring soothing words between her own choking sobs. The dog immediately turned around and wrapped his arms around her, the two clutching each other soundlessly.

Maia sighed. "Well, that's an odd pairing if I've ever seen one."

Ruby agreed, noticing that the wolf faunus was slowly waking up.

He sat up and looked around the room, taking in the casualties. "This was supposed to be easy," he said unsteadily, staring at his own hands as he leaned back against the wall. "What have I done?" He looked up at Ruby. "What have you done?"

His despairing look made her uncomfortable. She turned away from his searching eyes, trying to seek solstice in Maia.

Maia, on the other hand, returned his gaze, her expression cold and unyielding. "Didn't you come to kill us?"

The wolf faunus broke his gaze, looking down and giving her the tiniest of nods.

"Then be thankful that you're still alive."

With that, she ended the conversation, beginning her search for the tablet. She found it wedged between couch cushions, the corner a little dented. Swiping it open, she dialed the number for the police.

A voice crackled through the speakers. "You again, Maia? What happened this time?"

"Attempted burglary at my residence. Requesting permission to-"

"Your house?" the voice asked in disbelief. "Don't you live in the police housing district?"

Maia looked annoyed. "Yes. Five attackers. One is dead, the rest are in… stable condition. I'm requesting permission to hold them here for a little while. I'm going to ask them some questions and then I'll have you pick them up.

"You're going to extract your own brand of justice, huh?" the voice asked smugly.

Maia sighed. "No, I just want some information."

"Of course, of course," the voice said mirthfully. "But even if you didn't say anything, we wouldn't have been able to send a vehicle. The snowstorm is lowering visibility and the roads are too slippery and narrow. So don't worry, we'll take in whatever's left of them when you're done. I'll even forget the fact that you told me how many were alive."

"Thanks," Maia said sarcastically.

"Anything for you, baby."

Maia swiped the tablet shut, turning to face the prisoners. The wolf faunus was staring at her, his face set stubborn expression.

"You'll never get anything out of me," he declared.

Maia grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him up as he yelped with pain and glaring into his eyes. "You're only making this harder for yourself."

Ruby stared, interested. Now this is something I can get behind. "Can I help?" Ruby asked.

Maia dropped the wolf on the ground, considering her proposal. "Let's get them secured, and then we'll talk."

"Okay," Ruby said. "I still have tons of steelsilk. Do you need to use any?"

Maia nodded. "That would be perfect." She looked down the hallway. "I feel silly for asking this, but do you mind if we put the badly injured ones in your bedroom?"

Ruby was nearly bouncing with joy. "Not at all!" she said cheerfully, realizing that this would force her to sleep somewhere else.

Maia cracked a smile. "Of course not," she said.

Ruby went to the basement to get her steelsilk as Maia brought out two leg shackles, placing them on the lynx and the wolf. When Ruby came back, they bound the struggling wolf to the chair with steelsilk, wrapping it around him multiple times and tying the strips off with secure knots. The two worked together and dragged him down the hallway, stopping at the closet.

"Oh hell no," the wolf said as Maia began taking out the towels and bedsheets. "I'm not going in there."

"You don't have a choice," Maia said, stacking the towels and bedsheets on her arms.

The wolf let out a stream of profanities as Ruby grinned and stuffed him into the closet, closing the door on his face.

"At least we'll be able to feed them with the meat you brought here," Maia said as she walked back to the other three.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah—"

She coughed violently, specks of blood spraying the wall before she covered her mouth with her hand.

Maia rushed over to her, grabbing her shoulders. "Rose?"

Ruby held up a hand, indicating for her to wait a second. A few tense moments later, Ruby coughed again, making a face as she spat a small knife into her hand.

"Oh, so that's where it went," Ruby contemplated as she wiped her mouth with her ragged shirt.

Maia stepped back, blinking. "Has this happened before? Should I be worried?"

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it, shrugging.

The two of them carefully picked the groggy lynx, Ruby holding her under the arms and Maia grabbing her bound legs as they wrapped her legs with steelsilk and tied her upper arms to her torso. The lynx was slowly waking up, wincing whenever her arms were jostled.

"Where do you think she should go?" Maia asked.

"Go fuck yourselves," the lynx faunus mumbled, looking away from them.

"Bathroom?" Ruby suggested.

Maia shook her head. "Too inconvenient."

Ruby pointed down the hallway. "Then maybe we can just put her with the wolf for now. It's not like they're going anywhere, anyways."

Maia nodded. "That could work."

The lynx had gone silent again as they carried her toward the closet. Maia unlocked the door and opened it, the wolf faunus greeting them with a few choice words. Ignoring him, the two propped the lynx up against the wall.

"Try to escape and you'll regret it," Maia threatened her.

The lynx refused to look at them, turning to stare at the wall and whispering quietly to herself.

Maia was about to shut the door when the wolf faunus interrupted them.

"I need to use the bathroom," he pleaded.

"Nice try," Ruby grinned. "I think I know where this is going. You're going to try to escape, aren't you?"

The wolf growled at her. "No, I actually need to—"

"You'll go when I say you can," Maia decided. "Hold it in for now."

She shut the door and led Ruby back down the hallway, invectives coming out of the closet as they walked away.

Ruby looked at Maia. "Uh, we're going to let him pee sometime, right?"

Maia chuckled grimly. "Of course. But first we need to deal with our other two prisoners."

The two were still locked in their embrace, the cat faunus apparently asleep from exhaustion. The dog's ears twitched as they walked towards the pair, the faunus turning his head toward them and letting out a low growl.

"Easy there," Maia soothed him. "I need to get the knife out of her back, alright?"

The dog clutched the cat even tighter.

Maia sighed. "Rose, grab his arms."

The dog faunus immediately lashed out upon hearing her. But he was weakened and traumatized, so Ruby just grabbed his fist and pried his other arm off of the cat. The cat had woken up now and was struggling to stand up, but her legs kept failing her.

"Leave him alone," she cried as Ruby dragged the dog away.

Ruby had one hand around his neck and one hand holding his arms together, keeping him away from her as he thrashed. Maia propped the cat faunus up, unraveling a spool of steelsilk.

"Brace yourself," she warned, then pulled the knife out.

The cat spasmed, letting out a tiny mewl as Maia tightly bound the wound and stopped the blood flow. The rabbit faunus nodded to Ruby, so she dropped the dog faunus to the floor and stepped back. The cat found him again, the dog immediately hugging her and refusing to let go.

The two just watched them. "Well, this is awkward," Maia commented. "Cat, if you want to live, get the dog to carry you to your new rooms."

The cat faunus looked at them in fear before tilting her head and whispering into the dog's ear. It took a few seconds, but he eventually nodded, slowly standing up and cradling the cat. Ruby and Maia guided him along as they made their way to the guest bedroom, the dog cautiously shuffling forward and stumbling whenever he glanced off of a wall.

Maia sat the dog down on the bed, glancing at the windows contemplatively. Pulling out set of handcuffs, she grabbed the cat's wrist and cuffed her to the metal bed frame before she could react. The cat flinched but didn't complain, instead just holding the dog for comfort as Maia handcuffed the other faunus to the bed.

Maia pointed toward the shutters. "If two want to escape, go ahead, but there's a snowstorm outside and I don't think you'll be able to do much in your condition."

The cat faunus nodded, then burrowed her head into the dog's chest. The dog faunus frustratedly pulled at the handcuffs, growling, then gave up and sat back against the bed, nursing his ribs.

Maia closed the door and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. She didn't protest as Ruby sat next to her, leaning on her shoulder as they finally relaxed a little.

Maia ran a hand through her hair. "Well, that was unexpected."


Note:

And that was this chapter.

AND IM FREE. I'm done with college apps, and now hopefully I can write more and more before midterms come up. Thanks for sticking with me through my delays, and I will try to pick up the pace.

Review, rate, comment, PM me, etc. Thanks for reading!