She awoke to the sounds of battle, a gasp hitching in her breath as bright, warm light flooded her senses. Her body ached, the tickling grass around her doing nothing but making that fact even more apparent. It took a moment for her vision to fully focus, the overload her senses were experiencing turning out to be too much to take in all at once.

When her sight finally returned to her, however, she'd wished it hadn't.

Propped up haphazardly against a rock, her shocked senses turned her vision towards her right arm hanging limply at her side at an awkward angle. Blood streamed from her shoulder, leaving sharp red trails down the, comparatively, starkly pale white of her skin. A hoarse, strangled. "O-Oh…" was all she could manage, the pain barely registering in the chaos.

A roar of exertion stole her attention suddenly, her head snapping back directly towards her front, where a grim sight awaited her. A middle-aged man in some sort of full-body armor was bloodied beyond belief, a large, gleaming sword held aloft in front of him as some sort of black steam rose from the ground before him, his back to the girl as he stood a few yards ahead of her. He didn't look familiar and, with a start, the girl realized that she couldn't seem to remember how she'd gotten in this situation. Beyond him, though…

Her soft, tired breaths hitched in her throat at the sight, tears of sudden fear springing quickly to her eyes. "Wh-What…?" She'd never seen anything like them before, she was sure of it. Large, midnight black creatures of varying shapes and sizes surrounded both her and the man that seemed to be protecting her, blotting out the forest around them, their numbers too many to count. All of them, though, were animalistic in some way or another, with masks or armor made of stark white bone or… something. The mere sight of them sent her mind racing, her fight or flight responses activating almost immediately. She made to stand, but the movement sent arcs of pain flaring down her body as she collapsed back to the ground with a pained yelp.

Finally, the man staring the creatures down seemed to take notice of her, but he didn't so much as move. Instead, he called out over his shoulder, his voice rough and tired, though it didn't seem to show any pain, "Good. You are awake. To be honest, I had no way of telling if you would wake up anytime soon, if at all," the man shifted on his feeting, turning slightly to stare at a wolf-like creature that had taken a few testing steps forwards only to retreat that distance at the man's stare. "I will be frank with you, we are not in a good situation. I have slain many, but there seem to be plenty more to replace their ranks. Such is the folly of traveling through rural Anima, I suppose," He paused to cough, the sound wet and heavy, "Help might be on the way, though it will not be much, and I have no way of knowing when it will arrive." His left hand snaked down to a patch at his waist, above his plated armor, retrieving a small, thin bar that emitted a soft glow from a symbol at the middle before tossing it back towards the girl, where it landed just at her feet, his sword unfaltering all the while. "Take that scroll and flee. As fast as your legs can carry you, child. If we are lucky, help will find you quickly."

The girl, no more than thirteen, looked down at the piece of unfamiliar technology before her, tears now flowing freely from her eyes. She felt the air shift and, chancing a glance up, she couldn't help but to feel that the creatures seemed to grow even more enthusiastic, their bared teeth almost turning upwards into twisted forms of cruel grins. Shaking her head, she moved to stand once more, reaching for the 'scroll,' only to collapse with another pained yelp. She shook her head quickly, despite the fact that the man couldn't see it, and called out to him with a quiet, unfamiliar voice, "I-I can't… My… my leg hurts, I think it's br-broken..." she managed with a whimper. The creatures had gotten closer now, a distance of mere feet between them and the man with the sword.

The man grumbled something under his breath, taking a slight step backwards towards her before calling out loud enough for her to hear, "...I see. Well then, in that case, I ask that you stay back and take whatever cover that you are able to," He paused, something shifting in his gait, "You… may want to close your eyes, young one." The girl's stomach fell at that, tears flowing more freely, though she didn't dare let a sob escape her. All she could offer was an unseen nod as she crawled backwards to huddle up against the rock she'd woken up on, only briefly noticing that it rested just barely before the precipice of a very large cliff, before a sudden, non-human roar signaled the start of the battle before her.

|Arturias Cerule|

I took in a quick breath of air, eyes narrowed as I ran as fast as I could handle, my vision glancing down at the scroll every few moments as my feet crunched upon the dry ground with every light step. I was only a few minutes away, but with the level of distress that'd been sent out, I was afraid I wouldn't be much help, even if I did arrive on time. Father had trained me well, but if it was a threat that he could not handle alone…

I ducked under a low-growing branch, the sounds of a vicious battle beginning to fade into my senses. My hands clenched, I could only continue running as thoughts of what might be happening flashed through my mind. An army of Grimm. A tribe of bandits. 'Surely… no singular threat could pose a problem for him…' The thought, in and of itself, sent shivers down my spine as I leapt over a fallen log, the weight of my plate armor almost nonexistent. I glanced back down at my scroll after I landed, the small, red, flashing pinpoint of distress only…

'There!'

I skidded to a halt, head snapping to the left as motion caught my eye. As quickly as I could, I righted myself, my feet digging furrows in the ground as I darted forwards, drawing the longsword at my side as I did so. It was only a few more moments before I broke through the treeline, my eyes widening at the scene that awaited me.

To the right, my father was on one knee as he sent his sword, Galatine, careening towards the head of an Ursa Major, severing it cleanly. It was a feat that would have left me in awe, if not for the massive gash on his chest or the scattered remnants of his armor strewn about the field, the smoke of the Grimm drenching the area in a sea of black that, somehow, didn't make it difficult to see. Just beyond that scene, my eyes focused to see a Beowolf that was charging towards my father, thinking he could get a lucky hit in while he was distracted. My teeth gritting, I charged forwards as fast as I could, a defiant scream escaping me before I even knew what was happening.

'Not here! Not now! Not if I can help it!'

Sprinting into the clearing, I leapt forwards just as the Beowolf swung down towards my father's unprotected head with its right paw. Just in time, I twisted midair and swung downwards, severing the Grimm's arm at the elbow. I heard a surprised gurgle from behind me, one that set an angry flame alight in the depths of my soul. The pain he was likely in…

I never stopped screaming as I pivoted, the blade in my hands never stopping as it cut cleanly through the Beowolf's thick neck, severing it completely. No time for rest, I turned my head quickly to search for any other charging Grimm, only to see that the hoard that remained had retreated back into the dense treeline, likely at the sight of another capable target. They were still there, no doubt. Watching. I could see their eyes glowing in the encroaching darkness, the sun beginning to cast a long shadow off of the treeline that grew closer with every minute.

I jumped slightly as a heavy hand fell upon my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father struggle to stand, using both me and his greatsword as supports. Blood trailed from his lips, and his bloodshot eyes almost sent tears spilling from my own on the spot. Removing his hand from my shoulder, he moved to prod gently at a yellowing bruise that marked his left cheek.

He didn't even wince.

He stood there for a moment with me, with my blade held in front of me in the stance he'd drilled into my head for years, and his buried slightly in the ground at his right as we stared towards the forest. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out at first was a wet, hacking cough that made me wince. After a moment, he cleared his throat, eyes still as sharp as ever as he stared into the darkness before us, "Arrived just at the last minute. The same as always," there was a fondness in his words that I hadn't heard in… a long time. This time, my eyes did begin to water, but I didn't dare let them spill over. Now wasn't the time.

I let the silence stand for a moment before speaking, my voice breaking slightly as the weight of the situation began to crash down on me, "Well, at least I know why you called. I would have hated to let you have all the fun. That being said," I risked a quick glance over towards him, wincing slightly again as I noticed just how deep the gash on his chest truly was, "...How do we get out of this?" I paused, eyes darting back to the Grimm fate that seemed to await us, "Do we get out of this?"

I heard him sigh and the sound of dirt shifting as he brought his blade into a heavy stance, different from the one that I held. Suddenly, a heavy mechanical whirring filled the air, drowning out the sound of distant growls. I didn't have to look to my right to know that his large sword had just morphed into a similarly large machine gun, though the action did surprise me. That act, in itself, was my answer. I'd never seen him resort to it while I was with him, though he'd told me stories…

"We don't," he said, the words chilling me to the bone. I could've sworn the Grimm brimming in the treeline edged a little closer at his words, but he spoke up again before I could dwell on it, "You do though," I turned quickly towards him, my eyes wide, ready to tell him off at the suggestion before he continued, "No!" he hissed, clearly leaving no room for opposition, "I do not know if you noticed when you arrived, but there is a girl just behind us, no older than you. I do not know how she got to be here, nor do I know where she came from. But I do know this. There is still enough strength in these old bones to allow my son," he paused and looked at me and, for a moment, all I could see was determination in his eyes, "To escape with both his life and the life of an innocent." He paused for another long moment, the tension in the air growing thicker with every passing minute. I heard a rough sigh escape him, "Please, allow me that." His words were barely above a whisper, but their resolve was as clear as day.

We stood there for a few more excruciating moments, the shadow almost at our feet. Tears were beginning to spill from my eyes, and I could do little to stop them. I stared down the Grimm ahead of us, anger growing hot in my gut at the sight of them before I nodded to myself. Taking a deep breath, I turned slightly towards him, just so he could hear my whisper, "...O-Okay. I will do it."

"Promise me you will get the both of you to safety!"

"I-I promise! You have my word!"

I could hear the smile, the relief, in his words as he spoke. "Good. The girl is injured, you will likely have to carry her," he said. After another moment of silence, he shifted slightly on his feet as his left hand slowly moved to lightly ruffle my hair, something he'd not done ever since we'd arrived in Anima. "You have done me proud. I coul-," in a surprising display of emotion, his voice hitched in his throat, sending even more tears spilling down my cheeks, " I could not have asked for a better son. No matter where you go from here, no matter where the river takes you, know this: You go with my blessing."

I smiled, lips trembling as he pulled his hand back to the gun in his hands. I turned to him, slowly, so I could look into his forest-green eyes, framed by unkempt ashen brown hair, both the same as mine, "...Love you, dad." I managed to get it out without my voice breaking. I could cry when I had kept my word. Now, I had to be strong.

He stared ahead at the hoard as it inched ever closer, neither us nor them daring to break the standstill we'd come to. It was barely a whisper when he spoke, but I heard it all the same.

"I love you too, son."

With that, as quick as I could, I spun on my heel and sheathed my sword, the sight of the girl he'd spoken of coming into view just a few feet ahead of me as the sound of gunfire filled the air, along with the howls and snarls of the countless Grimm, a sea of them from what I had seen.

He'd been right. I would've been surprised if she was a day older than my twelve years. Short grey hair framed terrified violet eyes that stared back at me as I darted towards her. The teal sweater she wore was dirtied, the right arm of it torn off completely to reveal, what looked to be, a broken or dislocated arm, and her jeans weren't in much of a better shape. She wasn't even wearing shoes.

Any thoughts about her strange appearance, or how she'd managed to end up in the middle of nowhere, days from the closest village were thrown aside as I moved to pick her up quickly, a pained gasp escaping her as I practically tossed her over my shoulder. The combined weight of her, along with my plate armor and the rucksack on my back containing camping supplies, was beginning to weigh down on me, but it wasn't something I couldn't manage for a while.

With barely a second of thought, I darted to my left, back the way I'd come. Easily enough, I found the trail I'd made coming through the first time. The camp we'd made the night before was likely far enough away from here that we'd be able to lose any Grimm that were trailing us by the time we made it back.

Leaping over the same moss-covered log that I had before, the sounds of battle quickly began to fade away as we got further and further from the clearing. What quickly replaced it, however, were the soft sounds of crying just behind my shoulder. My brow furrowed, barely suppressed tears spilling down my own eyes. '...We cannot go back to the camp like this, they would sniff us out in an instant.' Coming to a quick stop, I looked around, searching for any signs of Grimm that'd followed us and, thankfully, failed to find any.

With a gentle motion, I moved to set the girl in my arms down against a tree, her teary, violet eyes looking back up at me in a mix of both confusion and fear. "Wh-Why'd you st-stop?" She choked out, eyes darting around us quickly, "We haven't g-gotten far enough away, h-have we?"

I quickly moved to hush her, putting a finger in front of my mouth, "No, we have not, but we both need to stop crying, or the Grimm wi-" I paused, trying to find a better string of words to calm her down, "We will make too much noise, otherwise," I finished. She seemed to understand well enough, doing her best to choke back her sobs. Meanwhile, I did my best to wipe my eyes.

"No crying!" My father said sternly, his blunted training sword limp by his side as I coughed into my hand, nursing my aching ribs, my own training sword on the ground beside me. "There will be time for that when you no longer have the need to fight!"

I nodded at the memory that flashed in my head, though it did little to stem the pain in my heart that it caused. He'd been right, of course.

I looked back down the girl before me, only to see the slightest growth of the confusion in her gaze. Her brow furrowed, she spoke up again, "Grimm?"

My eyes widened. 'What?' I furrowed my own brow, looking around again for any signs of the beasts, "Yes. What about them?"

Looking back down at her, I saw that the confusion had only grown, "Is that what those things are called? Grimm?"

Confusion was starting to grow in my own gaze as I looked down at her, "Of course they are. Ha- No, never mind. We can talk when we have made it back to camp." I nodded again, more to myself than anything, before crouching down again to pick the girl back up, satisfied now that her tears had stopped flowing, at least for the moment.

It'd taken half an hour of silent dredging through Anima's thick forests, but we'd finally made it back to the haphazard camp that my father and I had set up. By the time I'd returned, the fire had gone to embers, with no hope of restoring it back to what it'd been without extra firewood that I didn't have on hand. That being said, it'd grown dark by now, and I could barely see five feet in front of me, the moonlight unable to break cleanly through the canopy above.

I did what I could to stem the fear growing in the pit of my stomach as I rooted around the area for tinder after I'd set the girl down on my sleeping bag, that of which was really just an unfurled mat. We had to travel lightly, after all. Our camp was little more than a campfire and our mats.

We hadn't spoken since I'd told her not to cry, and the silence was starting to wear on me, even though I'd grown used to it in the time I'd spent traveling with my father. This silence, though, was different. Tense, like the air had been just before…

I winced as I pulled another dried twig from the ground, throwing the memory away from my mind. There still wasn't time to cry. From how deep we were in the forest, there wouldn't be for a while. I knew, theoretically, how to track my way back to Senbonzakura, supposedly the village that was closest to us, but father had said it was a two and a half day trek, and that we'd only stop there if we needed to. My eyes darted to the girl as she stared down at her arm. Along the way back, I'd stopped and checked her arm after it'd started bothering her, likely because the adrenaline had worn off. Thankfully, it had only been dislocated, something father had taught me how to deal with. I had checked her leg as well, and, thankfully, she only had a minor sprain in her right ankle, something that, hopefully, heal overnight given proper treatment.

With her along for the ride, it'd likely be more of a three day trek. With enough rations to last one person a week, we'd probably be able to make it with time to spare.

After we had, though…

I sighed as I walked back to the campfire, setting the mass of tinder below what little firewood I could manage to find in the darkness. Sweat streaked down my brow, still clinging from the exertion of running with all of the gear I carried, along with the girl.

Rummaging around in the pouch on the front of my armor for a few moments, I retrieved a small, dust-powered lighter and brought it down to the tinder, a small smile breaking out on my face as it caught and set the wood atop it ablaze. "Thus, there is light," I muttered tiredly to myself, moving to sit on a log that we'd dragged over while setting up camp. Sparing a glance towards my companion, I saw that she'd done much the same as our eyes met. I sighed and closed mine for a moment before opening them once again, "...I promised you answers to your questions, yes?"

She nodded, taking that as her queue to speak, "Where are we?"

My eyes widened slightly, my brow furrowing, "What do you mean, where are we? We are in the middle of the forest, in the middle of nowhere. I… I thought that was clear?"

She shook her head, shooting me a glare at my words, though it did little, "No, I mean where are we? Your…" She paused for a minute, seeming to think better of herself before continuing, "Your dad said something about… Anima? What is that?"

My eyes opened wider, and I had to force my jaw closed before it dropped, "What? What do you mean, 'What is Anima?' Anima, as in the large continent that we currently on, that of which is located on the world of Remnant. Is this... Is this ringing any bells?"

I paled at the girl's expression, her eyes growing more and more confused by the minute.

'...By the two. She… She has amnesia.'

I frowned. Things just got a lot harder.

Hiya! Awry here. Hope you enjoyed the first installment of 'The Blade and the Hare.' I'm gonna try to get a few more chapters out pretty quickly before I made an update schedule. I just wanted to say, this story has a lot of wiggle room in terms of where it can be taken. If you have any suggestions or good ideas that you have, let me know. Otherwise, I've got a pretty good plan of where I want to take this. Any feedback is appreciated!

Til next time!