A/N -
Published 4/3/20
And we're back! I'm probably going to stack up chapters and not post them so i have chapters to update when i'm busy. Aaaand y'all will have a steady supply. I DONT have a schedule or plan to have one, so i'm sorry about that XD.
Remember to follow my Tumblr for constant updates: u-haulian. I will also warn you that i don't do clothing descriptions because i suck at them and don't know what's called what, so uh... they wear the same clothes as their canon selves unless i say otherwise in the story.
NTK -
Should've added this yesterday, but they are older. Ruby is about 22 here, which means everyone else is 2 years older. You do the math.
When it comes to (human) height, Yang is about 5'10, Ruby is near 5'6, Ren is 6'1, Nora is 5'3, and Weiss is 5'4. The adults are the same height as their canon heights. I changed their heights in the story because their canon heights were as students, so they obviously grew. Ruby grew the most because she was fairly young. Nora is surprisingly short.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2: City Life
Ruby opened her eyes groggily. She groaned, vaguely recalling the remnants of her dream. There was a girl, seemingly human, and she was calling for her. She put the thought aside and jumped off her bed, which she chose to be a foot or two off the ground than the "boring" and "lame" inches. Nobody really understood it, but they didn't question her.
She rubbed her eyes, attempting to fight back the yawn that threatened to escape her lips. Apparently she was a wolf again, something that happened everyday when a Reaper Wolf awoke. It was just a normal thing, to get up and be in wolf form. Many were satisfied with it, since being a wolf was in their blood before being a human. Others, however, felt it was troublesome when they slept at a human environment, which was true.
Her fur bristled, feeling the cool air in her room. It seemed chillier than it usually was, even in the winter. She was too tired to comprehend that any further, though, and jumped in the bath she had quickly prepped. The water was the perfect temperature, not too much on the cold side but a good bit. Some would've disagreed, but she liked the feeling of being jolted awake by the low degrees. She thought back on how her sister practically freaked when she found out. Turns out that Yang was a lover for the warmth, which was a given, since she seemed to always be surrounded with heat.
The tub was filled with numerous bubbles, a few popping on her snout, others landing on her half-submerged body. At some point in her life, she had grown tired of them and used less than she used to, but she still used them nonetheless. It was a way to connect back to her more innocent childhood past. Of course, she wasn't going to show this side to just anybody, especially not her sister.
Once her lovely bath was over, she pressed a button to activate the large dryer. Dryers were in every cave and house, since everyone usually preferred to stay in their wolf form unless their human form was necessary. Ruby's dryer had her person rose emblem, one that had a different design than the trademarked rose for the pack. Hers had tinges of silver on the edges of the petals, much like the red tinges on the end of her hair.
She loved customizing and building things, so she took occasional classes from Penny when they were both available. The classes were few, but Ruby was able to keep up so well that she learned how to build anything out of almost nothing, though she knew she could never be as good as Penny when it came to advancing technology. Still, that didn't bother her a bit, since she was satisfied with simply creating weapons—her favorite was her personal scythe, Crescent Rose. Other times, she would create vehicles, but that took her longer and expended more energy than she wanted.
Deep down, she wasn't a huge fan of vehicles, all except for motorcycles, which both her and Yang took great interest in. She felt that running felt more free than being holed up in some car. That seemed to be a feeling that almost all Reaper Wolves believe in, as they all often used their four legs, or two when human, to get anywhere.
Pulling herself from her thoughts—and perhaps a bit of drooling over weapons—she looked at herself in the large mirror that hung beside her bed near the ground. Her coat was as shiny as always, and her eyes were still their molten silver.
Then she almost forgot—her cape! And her other clothes...
Ruby spun away from the mirror and put on her usual attire, now in her human form. All her clothes were tight enough to show off her curves but loose enough to be breathable. Though, she didn't really worry much about the fitting unless she was going to be around other humans. Better safe than never, she supposed.Before forgetting once again, she tied her signature cape around her neck.
Satisfied with her appearance, she switched back to her wolf form. The only thing that showed from her outfit was her cape, which adorned the pack emblem on the outside and her own on the inside. While she could show more piece of clothing than one at a time, she could only wear things that weren't strictly for humans. The simple reason for it was because wolves didn't wear shirts or pants, at least, they didn't normally. Capes and other accessories were a different topic, since any creature could logically wear a something around their neck or on their head... and the list goes on.
Finally, she let out a bark that opened her door automatically, and she made her way to Yang's room. Ruby usually got up before her sister, so it was no surprise to see the blonde getting out of her bath, form that of a wolf. Ruby groaned inwardly and growled outwardly, gaining her sister's attention.
"Ever heard of knocking? And don't give me that, Rubes," she growled back. "I'll be done before you know it!" she then added, a more positive tone in her voice. Though her mind was clearly on other matters. Specifically her dream, amber eyes still popping up in her mind. Remembering her sister was still staring at her, she waved her off and continued getting ready.
Deciding to relent as always, Ruby huffed and barked back, "Sure, sure... I'll wait for you outside." With that, she made her way out of the room and breathed in the fresh air of nature. Then the same chill came across her, but before she could think about it, Ren and Nora approached her.
"Hey, Ruby!" Nora exclaimed, her smaller wolf stature racing towards the caped Alpha. Before Ruby knew it, an orange blur tackled her to the ground. Luckily, Ruby was away from the guards, and they were well aware that Nora wasn't an enemy. Unluckily, Yang barged out of the building right after and joined in on the pile of the two wolves, making it three.
Ren hid amusement in his eyes, following the three as they crashed atop each other. "Good morning, you two," he greeted. His fur was unsurprisingly on the longer side, and his height was even taller than that of Yang's, though less muscular.
Ruby let out a defeated whine before bucking the two off her back. The duo fell backwards dramatically with wide grins on their lips that ended up being shown by tail wagging and their tongues lolled out to the side, amused growls from their throats.
The two sisters then turned to the unofficial but official couple. "Morning Ren, morning Nora!" they barked out at the same time. The greeted wolves nuzzled Ruby and Yang, a way of respect when in wolf form to close friends of higher rank, even Ren did it. Some, like Ren, felt it was more comfortable than human hugging. Most didn't care which, though they often preferred nuzzling to hugging simply out of their natural habit.
Once their greetings were finalized, the group of four, Ruby taking the lead, ventured into a tunnel hidden but blatantly obvious. There were guards at the entrance of the tunnel and a strong, tech door, ensuring that nobody got in or out unless authorized.
Other wolves followed them in and crowding behind them with hushed whispers. They could all feel their hunger rising, exciting their stomachs to their morning meal—breakfast, as humans would call it. To them, a meal was a meal, and they didn't bother labeling them anything. However, they forced themselves to learn what humans called each separate meal anyway, finding it important to blend in completely.
"So you going out for more searching today, Ruby?" Nora questioned, finding herself beside the Alpha. Ruby hummed, well, hummed the way a wolf could.
"I plan to, but I'll probably take only a few people with me." At that, Yang flattened her ears. She side eyed her sister, and she gave her a comforting look back. "Yes, you'll be a part of that if you want to, sis," she added, taking note of her sister's tension releasing and tail swaying side to side, slowly. She took that as a yes.
"Would it be alright if we accompanied you two?" Ren jumped in, taking the group by slight surprise, especially Nora. She glanced over at him with an incredulous look then suddenly changed her demeanor, looking excited.
Ruby looked over at her sister, silver eyes on lilac, another conversation that only they could understand. She then nodded, gaze moving to that of Ren's pink. "That sounds good to me!" She was always happy to include her friends in her adventures. Hopefully she didn't run into some trouble, though. Her friends and their safety mattered much more to her than finding her blade. There were more days to do that.
Forest Foods
She didn't know why, but she gradually became more careful when outside of their territory. While her allies roamed around everywhere, there was a certain off feeling that she couldn't place her finger on just yet. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted with the intoxicating smell of fresh meat. And a few memories.
Ruby recalled the first time all four of them discovered the wonder of the place. Ren and Nora had agreed to eat out with Ruby and Yang for the first time in years since Ren became the official chef of the pack. Ruby offered her Uncle Qrow's favorite place to eat, having been there with him when she was only a few years old. She couldn't quite remember the taste of the food they served, so she decided that it would've been a nice place to bring back fond memories. With a strike of luck, the Forest Foods area, while barren of name creativity, lived up to the myths foretold of it and offered dishes that fit Ren's spicy lifestyle and Ruby's sugar rush obsession. In a matter of time, it eventually became a tradition for Rosebuds to do the same, flooding the area with Alpha Rose pack members.
When they first began this tradition, they would get the most incredulous looks, and all wolves alike would bristle or stiffen up. They were sure that the place was getting overtaken by the Alpha pack, so the area would be cleared out in a matter of seconds. What didn't help their case was when Rosebuds began following them as well. Eventually, Ruby used her "charm" and made friends with the wolves that ran the food shops. People slowly returned until they were fully comfortable and certain that it wasn't some manic takeover. It took a moon to get right back on track, and the group felt guilty to the point they brought different varieties of meats and berries for the same amount of time as it took to bring back their customers.
Ruby felt a nudge beside her and met soft lilac eyes. "Memories come back to ya, Rubes?" her smooth voice asked, more a knowing statement than a legitimate questioned. Yang always seemed to know what was going on.
The caped Alpha grinned wolfishly, tail swaying side to side. "Yeah! I'm just excited to get some food, as always." There was a genuine tone in her voice, so Yang nodded back.
Ruby's gaze wandered around the area, taking in the smells and noticing the small glances, which she dutifully ignored. She could easily feel her pack members following, their soft paws meeting the dry ground. Growls came from the stalking group behind her, soft whispering that drew the usual attention. Most people were used to their presence during this exact day and time, but the Forest Foods was always drawing attention from new wolves and different creatures, never relenting their curious gazes.
Once Ruby spotted their favorite food shop, The Storm, a wave of relief washed over her. She never did like the penetrating gazes they would get when they were there. It wasn't like she couldn't tell them off, which Yang offered many times, but she disliked getting into conflict without having to.
"We're finally here!" Nora barked, gaining a few perplexed looks. Ren struggled to keep his partner quieted down and eventually relented, letting her spirit run free for the time being. "Ohhh, I'm so going to eat every single thing on that menu!" The group didn't deny her outrageous claim. She had done it before, and they fully believed she could easily do it again.
Yang laid a paw excitedly on Nora's shoulder, which wasn't too hard, since she towered over the girl more than she did Ruby. "Is that a challenge, I hear!?" Her voice was low yet spoke volumes, and Nora's tail wagged in anticipation.
"Food challenge it is!" they both exclaimed at the same time.
Luckily, the shop owner already grew accustomed to their competitive nature and whipped up everything on the menu before they could speak a word. Ren and Ruby watched their friends wolf down the foods on their plates in a matter of minutes, Yang finishing before Nora by three solid seconds. Turns out the whole pack was watching, and they all broke out in a group howl, Yang's name flooding the air.
Unfortunately for Ruby and Ren, they now had to drag around their stuffed partners as they, too, got a bite to eat. Ruby had her usual: an extra large plate of deer meat skewers, pancakes topped with blueberries and syrup, and milk to wash it all down. Ren's plate was smaller, consisting of: a humble plate of spicily marinated steak, a bite size piece of cheesecake, and a cup of tea.
Their meal was calmer than the events that led to it. Ren and Ruby engaged in small talk together, ignoring the groans coming from the slumped figures of Nora and Yang beside them.
"So Ren, what encouraged you to go searching with us?" Ruby asked, in between bites of food. While most would've found her table manners less than charming, Ren didn't mind a bit.
Ren swallowed the spicy food and felt his stomach growl in satisfaction. Taking a sip of his tea, more lapping the beverage up than anything, he mulled over an answer before humming, a low growl of finished thoughts from his throat. "Well, after the hunt, there wasn't much for us to do at the time being," he began, a gentle tone in his voice, "so I thought I would surprise Nora and spend some time with our friends. Things have been... tense, after all." The young man seemed to speak more than he ever had in a moon.
Ruby's paw found its way on his shoulder, a firm yet comforting grip. Her eyes saw the conflict in her friend's gaze, the way his demeanor wavered, his words flowed just a bit more, and the slight droop of his ears.
"I completely understand. Things have been straining on many of us as well, and I'm sorry to see you two being included in such sorrows and pain." Her voice became a bit more formal towards the end before she shook it off. "Let's get our food in our stomachs and... and go to the city!" she stated, a confident expression on her face. The city was large, many things able to distract them from their thoughts.
Ren gave her a worried look. "Are you quite sure, Ruby? Who would be taking your place while we're all gone?"
The slight pause between the question and Ruby's answer had felt as thought time jumped from minutes to hours. "Actually..." She squirmed in thought and mumbled to herself before an 'oh' crossed her lips, a thought coming to her mind. "Qrow!"
An eyebrow was raised by the other party, and their pained companions seemed to be surprised by the idea, too. Though, they were too lost in their agony to care enough, much less comprehend. "You mean the guy who turned down being Alpha?"
"Well, he owes me, so yeah!" Her demeanor seemed to falter, but before Ren could say anything else, she finished her food and was already dragging him and their friends away.
The rest of the pack was already done eating, since the group took their time whenever they came. And the fact they had to drag Yang and Nora. Fortunately, the two came back from their food comatose and were back on their feet.
Yang looked over at Ruby with a curious look. "Uncle Qrow is coming?" she asked. Qrow was a rare one to have around. The question of how she would get him here was what she really wanted to ask.
"Mhm!" Ruby replied, not offering any other explanation.
The group walked back into the tunnel, Rosebuds trailing them. While some stayed, most usually did whatever Ruby's group was doing, much to the relief of the wolves in the area.
Main Territory
The familiar smell of their territory came flooding back, the Forest Foods area dissipating from their minds, much like the scent of the foods thag wafted the air. Ruby turned to her group and told them to wait, leaving them in a mess of confusion as they watched her figure shrink away.
"Wonder what she's doing," Nora said, stating her thoughts out loud.
Yang shrugged, sitting on the ground, away from the tunnel. "Who knows what's going on Rube's minds nowadays."
Ren simply followed Yang's lead and sat beside her, Nora following suit. Shortly, Ruby came running back, tail wagging. Right behind her was a large, pure black wolf. Qrow Branwen. A similar cape to Ruby's own was tied around his neck, his eyes were a deep red, and crest like fur was on his head. He approached them in a more calm manner, wolves watching him left and right.
"I heard you four were going out to hit the city," he said, voice husky, low, and words slurred. His voice sounded almost like a growl in itself.
Yang and Ruby both looked quite pleased with his appearance, and they nuzzled into him before replying to his sarcastic like remark.
"Uncle Qrow!" Yang barked, her lilac eyes clashing with his red.
"Hey there, Firecracker," he greeted, ruffling the fur on her head. "So why did I fly all the way over here?" While his voice sounded exasperated, the sisters knew he was glad to see them.
Ren and Nora sideglanced over again each other then back to the hulking wolf. They weren't quite sure what to make of this situation. Meeting him was just as interesting as most people seemed to say.
"Uncle Qrow, we're going to the city to wind down. We'll be back before you know it!" Ruby stated. She didn't sound as certain as before, but she definitely didn't seem to be letting down. Qrow looked at his niece with a curious gaze before looking about the others. They all simply shrugged.
Qrow's gruff hum sounded. "Well, kiddo, guess I have no choice." An amused look came upon his face, Ruby and Yang tackling him into a hug. "Alright, alright! You kids have fun, then. I've got it from here."
"Thanks, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby and Yang exclaimed, tails wagging and tongues lolled to the side. He only nodded back, ruffling both of their furs on their heads.
Ren and Nora gave him an appreciative look, remaining to the side, unsure of what to do but stand there.
"Thanks, mister!" Nora exclaimed as we. Ren gave her a disapproving glance and shook his head, letting out a slightly exasperated breath.
"Thank you, sir," Ren thanked, more formal than his partner. Qrow offered them both an understanding look and small smirk.
After a bit more conversation, Ruby turned to her friends as Qrow walked off to explore the territory. After all, it had been nearly 20 moons since he had come back.
The Alpha nodded and led the group out to the entrance. Her heart beat faster as she realized what she had done. Thoughts of doubt crept up in her mind, and she tried to shake them off. She focused, instead, on her friends and their idle chatter as they walked closer. The guards turned to them with curious gazes, bowing before rising as told.
"We'll be gone for the day, so please keep your guard up," Ruby stated, tone stern. Though, she tried to sound less commanding and possibly less stressed as well. She could feel her muscles growing tense and desperately hoped her friends couldn't see it. Of course, they probably could.
Forest
Once the guards nodded and let them through, Ruby let out a breath. The smell of the forest was alluring, especially to Reaper Wolves. They were made to be in the forest, any forest, but being in their own made them feel at home like nothing ever could. Though, sometimes there was a missing piece. Reaper was a romantic of sorts, though never having been with someone. She saw to it that her wolves would have mates—their other half, as people would see it—and most wolves found their mates within their territory, sometimes other packs.
There was nothing fancy to it when you found your mate. Many just said it was a feeling, a feeling of being... being at home. That was how others would describe it, and they said without your mate, a constant feeling of distance would remain. Not everybody had the same feeling, though. Wolves reported about finding their mate as a feeling and not a person, even the forest was enough.
Easily, Ruby could feel that distance, and Yang could surely feel it. Ren and Nora, on the other hand, were well on their way to the feeling of home.
Ruby could feel her friends' worried stares, and she glanced back at them, ears drawn back to her head just slightly. She was growing uneasy with the thoughts of romance, her pack, the future...
"What's up, Rubes?" Yang asked, walking closer to her sister, who seemed overflowed with her thoughts.
Ruby huffed, looking down at the ground. "I just want the rest of this day to be stress free..." She looked up to meet her sister's worried gaze.
Yang nuzzled her sister and nudged her, meeting her gaze. "Then let's starts by getting you stress free, sis. Don't worry about it. Uncle Qrow will take good care of the pack for the day. Let's focus on us!" Ruby nodded, demeanor quickly changing to be more cheerful. Yang grinned at her sister perking up.
A light seemed to shine on them more, all their tails swaying side to side and muscles relaxed. Occasionally, they would see wolves from other packs around, all of them from the pack's alliances. Though most of the time, they were left to their own devices, the city growing closer by the second.
Yang and Nora were currently racing each other around the trees and back. Ren watched them as they raced, being the victim of their antics when they grew bored with the trees. Ruby kept her focus on them, a joyous expression on her face, entertained and glad that her group was free from stress.
Then she heard a familiar voice.
Ruby looked over to her group and noticed that they apparently hadn't heard it. So, she continued on walking and watching, shoving the voice from her mind. However, it came back. Louder.
This time, she could make it out but couldn't make to ignore it. A vision came to her mind. Her dream. Flashes of white distracted her, cold and blue, calling once again. Her name... but this voice wasn't shouting for her, she was calling for help. Without thinking, she ran to the direction of the voice, the voice of winter bells and cold wind. Her friends could be heard barking for her, but she couldn't turn back, her body moving on its own.
Yang lost track of the Alpha, and Ren and Nora looked at the blonde with worried and surprised expressions, ears flattened and postures tensed.
Ruby searched, sniffing the air and catching a scent. The voice came back, louder and more desperate. She ran hard, her paws pounding the ground yet still managing to be silent. It felt like she was running on snow, but the sun beat down on her, confusing and boggling her mind. But she couldn't focus on that, she had to know who it was... what it.. she... wanted.
A flash of white crossed her view once again, and she came to a halt, practically tearing the ground as she dug her claws into the dirt. She heard more voices, but they were... harsh and distant. Low. The closer she got to the voices, the clearer the scene was to her.
"What do you want from me?" the winter bell voice asked. Her voice was stern, an air of command in her tone, but Ruby could hear the tension and fear that she held back.
Ruby crept behind a large tree, her eyes glowing silver in the shade of the leaves and branches. She peeked out, crouched low to the ground, and she could see the figures. They were on the edge of the forest. Her eyes caught the voice she was most intrigued with; as expected, the voice came from a girl. She was a petite looking young woman, eyes a chilling blue, and hair as white as the snow in her dreams. Dreams... it was the girl from her dreams.
Beside the white haired woman were three men, eyes filled with disgusting mischief. Hunger. Smirks were on all their faces, not even bothering to hide them, and their fists were curled. Ruby questioned why nobody seemed to stop them, but her eyes wandered to the buildings that so carefully hid them.
Why was that woman even so close to the forest? Ruby thought. Surely she knew the forest was a dangerous place to be, the only area that no human dare crossed 'less they were hunters. Judging by the clothes the woman wore, she was the opposite of a hunter. She was like a jewel standing in an unprotected, fragile glass case. Ruby shook her wandering thoughts and focused, listening in on what the men said.
"Come now, girl, I think you know what we want," the first man said, drawing closer to her. "Papa wouldn't be too happy to see his heir out in the open."
Another man snickered, arms crossed around his chest. He was the larger of the three men. "Yes. Would be a shame if you were caught sneaking out. Why don't we help you hide." His voice was gruff, sending chills down Ruby's spine. She didn't like this man—no, she didn't like any of them.
The last man tried to grab the white haired woman, but she stepped out of his way and pulled out a weapon, a rapier. The rapier was white with four prongs that encased a chamber of six slots, holding various colored dusts. The dusts were made for many purposes: destruction, creation, entertainment, etc. Humans never did understand the danger of it, and those that did used dust for their own vile purposes. Though, some used dust to protect themselves and others, a rare group.
"Oh! So Schnee here has some tricks!" the third man bellowed, a throaty laugh escaping him. He then pulled out a blade of his own, a simple dagger that didn't seem to hold anything special. His companions took out their own as well, all hokding basic designs.
Ruby sat back and watched curiously, though she felt she would need to jump in at some point. This woman... Schnee... couldn't handle three men by herself. She was just a human, a young one. Those men were larger than her, stronger than her, and power hungry. No matter how good she was at combat, she would stand no chance against dirty players.
"Come here, girl!" the first man growled, slashing his blade at her. It seemed the man had little vocabulary. His posture was weak, and he had no tactic. This man was mediocre at best.
The woman side-stepped with ease and kicked him down, but she was left open for the other men to go after her.
The second man, which she decided to name Hughe due to his large figure, lunged towards her and barely missed. Ruby fought the urge to go in, still fearful of showing herself. But seeing them infuriated her. The third man, aka Mocha because of his blade and hair color, did the same, this time a howl of pain came from the woman's lips.
Before the first man, Dirt, joined them from his rump on the ground, Ruby exploded away from the tree. She let out a harsh bark, feeling her eyes glowing and heart pounding with adrenaline in her veins. The men's eyes shot wide open, and they trembled, seeing her figure seemingly grow larger the closer she got. The Schnee woman's eyes grew wide as well, and she stepped away from the group but didn't run, as if her legs wouldn't allow her to leave.
Ruby's cape fluttered in the air, and she lunged in front of the woman, digging her claws in the ground, fur bristled, ears flattened, and posture large and protective. The men didn't run right away, their eyes seemingly contemplating the idea of attacking. Ruby's eyes egged them on, but their fear got the best of them, and they ditched Dirt. His eyes were full of conflict, and his body trembled.
As if Ruby's body was saying "Try it," the man lunged towards her and attempted to slit her throat. However, she was much, much quicker than the human and swiped down at him with nothing but her paws. He slammed into a building, knocked unconscious and definitely broke a few ribs. A huff came from the caped wolf's figure before her eyes stopped glowing.
Ruby turned to meet the eyes of the woman she had "saved." She could smell the fear radiating from her but also the relief that seemed to flood the woman's body. Ruby's eyes squinted, and she crouched low to meet the woman, snout sniffing her unashamedly.
"H-how dare you!" she screeched, pushing Ruby's face away, her own turning red. Then she gulped, realizing she was dealing with a hulking beast.
Before the Schnee woman could say anything else, Ruby growled, picking her up. Then she found her voice. "Schnee. You're coming with me." Thankfully, she didn't need to move her mouth to speak, but she couldn't help the growls that came from her throat. The woman tried to escape, but she was unarmed, Ruby having taken her rapier. So, she could only flail before giving up.
"Wh... where are we going?" the Schnee asked. "And how do you know my name?" Her voice still trembled. Of course, Schnee wasn't her full name, but she wasn't about to hand that over to some creature of the forest.
Ruby didn't offer to answer her questions. Instead, she focused on finding her group, which wasn't hard. Soon enough, she was met with the familiar sight of her companions. They noticed her as well and came running, coming to a halt seeing the woman in their Alpha's jaws.
"Ruby... why is a human in your jaws?" Ren asked, the first to snap out of his daze.
Ruby didn't meet their gaze and let out a nervous chuckle, more a husky growl from her throat that sent a shiver down the Schnee's spine.
"Sis, you need to explain," Yang put simply, her larger figure stepping closer to Ruby and the woman. She sniffed around them as well, then her eyebrow raised curiously. "Men... three men. Is she a damsel in distress, as they call it?" The sound of a smirk could be heard in her tone.
"Absolutely not!" the Schnee practically yelled, causing a growl to slip from Yang's throat. The woman shrunk back, looking like she wanted to cling to the wolf who currently still had her in her jaws. The wolf's hot breath made her squirm, feeling her clothes dampen.
Ren stepped up, nudging Yang and looking at Ruby with a pensive gaze. "Ruby, I assume you saved this human from filthy men. However, why didn't you simply leave her there once you saved her? You know humans are dangerous and curious creatures." Nora peeked from beside them as well, chirping her agreement.
As Ruby's friends crowded around, she let out a frustrated growl and set the woman down. "I don't know... but she seems familiar. I.." She grumbled to herself, not wanting to finish the sentence, but her friends' piercing gazes forced her to. "I saw her in my dream."
All the woman—now on the ground—could do was hear their growls and occasional barks. Sometimes she could hear them, but that only happened when they addressed her. Otherwise, she couldn't understand anything else they would say. The largest wolf of them all seemed to be the most rational, at least, that's what she had gathered. The yellow-furred wolf was the boldest... an exception for the smallest wolf with shining green eyes. Then her captor... well, she saw her as both her captor and savior of a sort. It was hard to decide. Though, she seemed strikingly familiar, and she couldn't help but stare into those silver eyes.
The yellow wolf and her captor-savior seemed to be arguing. Then they looked towards her. She was questioning why she hadn't tried to flee yet. Oh yes, she would surely be caught again. These were wolves. Reaper Wolves, if she recalled the tales she was spun as a child correctly. They towered over her, and she could feel the power they radiated just by being close to them... surprisingly, the caped wolf seemed to overpower that flow the most.
How she felt their power? That was a story to find out...
"Alright, human, you're sticking with us for the time being," the yellow wolf said. While she wished to argue, she couldn't form the words without fear stroking her. Where exactly were they going? Back to the city?
The young woman gulped. "Are we going back to the city? But... you're wolves. That would be a mistake, surely," she replied, matter-of-factly.
Then before her eyes, the wolves' figures seemed to dissolve. Like illusions fading, humans stood in front of her, her mouth agape but quickly closed out of manner habits.
Her eyes fell to the "humans" before her. The yellow wolf had expectedly blonde hair and practically still towered over her. She was quite obviously very fit, her toned physique accented by the snug fit of her clothes. A smirk was on the blonde's lips, as if she knew she was attractive, which she did. Her eyes were a soft lilac, and she radiated a sort of warmth that the Schnee could feel while she was a wolf as well.
Then her gaze averted to the duo, who she assumed were a couple because of their close proximity and general comfort with each other that they didn't share with the others. The tallest one was the one she assumed was the most rational. Beside him was an orange-haired girl, which she found was also expected. In fact, the humans fit their wolf forms to a tee, perhaps without their clothes, which she continued to wonder about but set it aside from her mind. The woman clinging to the young man had bright green eyes that held a whole lot of energy that the Schnee wasn't excited to discover. The young man, on the other hand, had pink eyes that seemed to hold a calmness and serenity... but also withheld curiosity.
Last of them was her captor-savior. Her silver eyes lured her in the most. They were warm and comforting, as if they were a security she hadn't felt anywhere before, but she also sensed a less yet similar energy to that of the orange-haired girl. Once she pulled her eyes away from the woman's gaze, her eyes wandered over her actual figure. The silver eyed woman was slightly taller than her, perhaps a few inches, which she found irked her off a bit. Her figure was slim but not petite like her own, more lithe and built. Powerful yet not noisily outward. She was quite attractive, beautiful even. All of them were uniquely attractive, and yet this woman... wolf?... lured her in more greatly than the others.
Familiar. Why is she so familiar? the two women thought as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"You already know what we are, but you don't know who we are," Ruby said, not pulling her gaze away from the white haired beauty. Beauty? Well... She glared at her own thoughts and turned back to the task at hand. "So since you'll be stuck with us for a while, the name's Ruby Rose." Her voice was peppy and welcoming.
Yang stepped up and put a hand on her sister's shoulders. Her sister was too trusting, but she was the Alpha, no matter how she thought of the overwhelming trust the caped girl could give. "I'm Yang Xiao Long, sister of this little runt," the blonde stated, ruffling her sister's hair, much to the disdain of the smaller girl. She sounded more joyful than the Alpha, but her voice held a warning tone.
Ren simply waved, not offering too much. After all, he didn't like talking to strangers out of the blue. "I'm Lie Ren, but you can call me Ren." His voice was steady and straightforward, but he had a friendly tone about it.
Last of them was Nora, who was still curiously gazing at the girl. In fact, she was just about everywhere and around them. "And I'm Nora Valkyrie! If you need some legs to be broke, i'm your gal!" She was practically laughing maniacally, and her tone was serious as the same time.
They all looked at the white haired woman expectantly. The said woman shifted, feeling rather intimidated by the crowd. Well, it was more a group than an actual crowd. She hesitated to speak before forcing herself, coming to the conclusion that they were trustworthy enough.
"Right... I'm Weiss Schnee," she greeted. She looked up to find non-surprised expressions. Quite the opposite, actually. "... and you all seem to already know that." Weiss was actually surprised. They didn't seem put off by her presence. She was Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company!
Ruby raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed and a curious look on her face. "Wait..." She looked extremely puzzled. Then Ren nudged her.
"Ruby, it's Weiss Schnee," Ren said, stressing Weiss being a Schnee.
It took Ruby a moment before she looked flabbergasted. "Weiss Schnee... Weiss..." she mumbled for a second. "Weiss.. Schnee.. Oh... Oh!" Then a conflicted look flashed in her eyes, a mix of pain and anger.. and a deep sadness. Suddenly, the look quickly disappeared, nobody catching it but Weiss herself. "Right. Well.. Introductions have been made, so let's head on to the city, yeah?"
To Weiss's surprise, the group nodded quickly without any objections. Ruby held more power over this group than she thought... but she was so young. Weiss waved the thought, finding it silly and minor.
Weiss then felt a hand in hers, causing her to look up from the ground and her thoughts. She met the familiar silver eyes of Ruby. A large part of her wanted to pull away but a smaller part of her didnt. "Wh...what are you doing, you dolt!?" she exclaimed, a confused look on her face.
Ruby stared at her with a small, genuine smile. "Well, we can't let you get lost, right?" Her grip was strong, a hint that the heiress couldn't pull her hand away if she wanted to. Ruby honestly just didn't want her to run away. Humans were so wreckless and confusing. Unpredictable. Weiss was surely the same. Though, she was still conflicted knowing she was holding hands with a Schnee. Not just a Schnee, either, the heiress.
Before they knew it, the city was upon them. Weiss seemed uneasy, even further gripping onto Ruby's hand, which the other woman noticed quite easily. In a swift movement, Ruby had her cape unclasped and around Weiss. She pulled her hood over the girl and shot her a knowing look.
"We're not going to the city gate, but we might as well keep our little princess a secret~" Ruby said, causing Weiss to fluster, both out of anger and embarrassment. However, she couldn't make a snarky reply quick enough as she was pulled into a tunnel by the young woman, who still had her hand in hers.
Yang remained on the other side of her sister and nudged her. "Hey, sis, let's just have fun today. Even if Ice Queen here was an unexpected addition." She grabbed Ruby into a side hug, and her sister dutifully returned it with a mumbled thanks.
Weiss heard Yang's remark but couldn't bring herself to say anything. The silver eyed woman, who was so strikingly familiar, seemed to be distressed. She felt a bit guilty at that. Perhaps she could leave at one point, after all, she couldn't stay in the city for too long or else she would be caught. Even with Ruby's cloak on... Ah yes, her cloak. Now that Weiss thought of it, the cloak was surprisingly warm, and it smelled like.. like roses. How quaint. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by Ruby.
The group had gotten to a door, and there were two humans right by it. Well... Reaper Wolves. Ruby smelled the familiar scent of her own kind, and they could do the same. Though, they also smelled Ruby's rank and her familiar symbol. They quickly bowed their heads before Ruby told them to rise.
"Ruby Rose, Alpha of the Alpha Roses pack, it's an honor to meet you. Might I ask, what are you doing here?" the smaller of the guards asked.
Ruby was familiar of all the guards, and they never treated her any less respectful as the first time she had met them. She recognized the guard that spoke... Ruko, she believed. A smile found its way on her face, and she rubbed the back of her head.
"I'm just here to rewind with my friends!" Ruby replied. Then she added, "June, is it? And your brother, Ruko?"
The two guards were taken a back and flustered. Blushes crept up on their faces, and Ruby found amusement in their reaction. She also felt her friends' gazes, and Yang wrapped an arm around her neck.
"Ruko and June!" Yang exclaimed, cutting in. The guards turned their attention to her and bowed as well, but she quickly lifted them to attention. "While we'd love to hang around some more, we do want to get our day going, right?"
The guards grew evermore flustered and nodded. "Ah, yes! We're sorry for having wasted your time, General Yang. It's also nice to see you two, Master Chef Ren and Nora." The couple waved, but before they could be let in, June spoke up once again. "Say, is that a human you have with you, Alpha?" she asked.
Ruby chuckled and turned to Weiss with a grin. "Observant of you, June! This is our friend, and she's actually the reason we're out today," she answered simply, not allowing room for details.
June nodded with a hum. Finally, the two guards happily let them in with warm smiles and friendly waves. Ruby let out a relieved sigh, and she could feel her group doing the same.
The City
"Alright, let's get this party started!" Nora exclaimed, loudly. She was practically bouncing off the walls as Ren tried to catch up to his partner.
Yang watched them go off and let out a breath. "She's right, you two, let's have some fun and let loose for today!" With that said, she dragged Ruby and Weiss into a hotel.
The hotel was run by a Reaper Wolf that went by Clover. He was also well acquainted with their Uncle Qrow. Ruby waved towards the man, and his eyes lit up. Though, his joy faltered when he noticed the woman they had in tow.
"Yang, Ruby, and..." Clover went into a whisper. "Weiss Schnee." A smile spread on his lips, and the two sisters laughed awkwardly. "Don't worry, kids, I'm not going to involve myself in your little... party." He huffed and crossed his arms, keeping his eyes on the three young women.
Ruby stepped up, releasing Weiss's hands. She just now realized she had been holding onto her hand this whole time. "Clover! You wouldn't happen to have a room open for our group, huh?" she asked, using her amazing ability: puppy eyes.
It was effective.
Clover groaned and took out three keys. "Alright, alright. You win. I got three rooms available, which is a strike of luck for you all. I assume that those two couples, Ren and Nora, are with you as well." He handed Ruby the three keys, ruffling her hair as well. Clover was a lot like their Uncle 2. He was more spoiling than Uncle Qrow and more responsible.
Yang had a huge grin on her face and ruffled the older man's hair. The three laughed, happy in their antics, but all things came to an end. Soon enough, he let them on their merry way.
Then he added, "Just a fair warning, there's only one room with two beds. I won't tell you which room it is, of course." He winked and waved them off.
Ruby grumbled, staring intently at the keys. "Let's wait for Ren and Nora to come back, and we can decide who gets what room." She was fine with sharing a bed, but she wasn't quite sure if Weiss would be just as happy with it. Of course, that was if it came down to it. Her eyes wandered to Weiss's own, and she noticed the heiress was staring at her, so she flashed her a smile.
Weiss's face flushed a tad red. Then she murmured something about Ruby being a dolt and the whole existence of the world being just as bad.
Their attention turned to the door opening. As expected, Ren and Nora came into view. Ren looked rather tired, but Nora looked the opposite, more energized than before.
"Honey, we're home!" Nora shouted, tackling Ruby into a hug, which Ruby saw coming from a mile. Nora gracefully landed on her face, and the whole group laughed, aside from Weiss, who still found them rowdy. But she couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face, which she made disappear immediately.
Once the group was all together, Ruby pulled out the keys that she set aside in her pocket. She took a breath explained to them the idea she so gloriously came up with.
"We'll do this so it's fair. Only one room has two beds, and we have three keys. We don't know which room has two beds, so this'll make it extra fun!" she explained, her eyes sparkling as she ran them through it. She always got amused at the smallest of things. "So everyone but Weiss and Nora will draw a key... and no peeking!" After she heard disgruntled murmurs of agreement, she nodded and set out the keys in a conveniently empty jar.
Ren went first, pulling out a key.
Room 53.
Yang was next.
Room 54.
Ruby was last, and she didn't bother closing her eyes.
Room 55.
"Ah! Time to find out the lucky couple who got one bed!" Nora laughed, manically. Ruby and Weiss has flustered expressions, and Yang and Ren just looked on in amusement.
Weiss has a displeased look on her face, an eyebrow raised at the group. "If Yang gets the room with two beds, she gets to keep it?" she asked.
Yang laughed and ruffled Weiss's hair. "That's right, Ice Queen!" she exclaimed. "Two beautiful beds for one beautiful lady. Who knows, maybe I'll bring a woman back by the end of the day!" She winked, then she fully thought about the possibility. Curious. "Then again, who says we're going to use both of them?"
That comment got a well deserved punch from the silver eyed Alpha.
Now, it was the moment of truth. Conveniently, the rooms were right by each other, so they all stood next to each other. Ruby counted down, placing the key in the lock.
"Ready..."
Hands on knob.
"Set..."
Eyes focused.
"Open!"
Knob turned.
Ren and Nora opened to one bedroom, to which Nora excitedly squealed. Ren looked calm, but a hint of amusement crossed his eyes. Though, they were both well accustomed with sharing a bed.
"Alright, Ruby and Ice Queen, let's see who strikes lucky!" Yang exclaimed. Weiss scoffed, and Ruby had a grin on her face, eyes full of competitive spirit.
A walk into the room. Ruby spotted...
"One bed!?" Weiss yelled, unhappy with the result. Yang seemed equally unhappy with it as well.
Ruby laughed awkwardly, looking over at Weiss with a cheeky smile. "Well, Princess, looks like we're roommates.. ah..."
Yang's mind finally caught up to her, apparently, because she went into an overdrive of cackling. Nora joined her quickly, and their laughter filled the room. Weiss simply huffed, turning her head. Ruby wasn't quite sure what to do.
"We all know Yang won't change her mind," Ren said, shrugging. "Let's make the best of today." He grabbed Nora and lifted her up from her hysterical laughing. Ruby followed the same, adding a sisterly punch at the blonde's arm.
"Let me just set my stuff near our bed, and we can get going," Ruby replied, with a nod. They all dispersed into their own rooms, Weiss following reluctantly, arms crossed. Ruby set down the few belongings she carried with her with a huff, laying down on the bed and closing her eyes, quietly enjoying the feeling of the bed. Then she opened one eye. "You know, if you're thinking of leaving at night, you're mistaken. Plus, I take it you ran away, Princess, and you have nowhere to go." She sat up, a half smug smile on her face.
Weiss huffed, shooting a glare at the silver eyes woman. "You're Alpha, huh?" she said, tone questioning.
"Yeah.. most people don't see me as Alpha worthy, but it's the pure truth." Ruby looked somber for a quick moment, then conflicted about another round of thoughts. Perhaps she wasn't worthy of being Alpha. You've been through this, Ruby. She left her thoughts alone and pushed herself off the bed. "Let's get going. You can set whatever you have here."
Weiss and Ruby walked out of the room, meeting the group once again.
"Ruby! You two weren't up to something in there, were you?" Yang teased, winking at the duo. Before they could retort, she grabbed them both, wrapping her arms around their necks. "Come on, lovers, let's hit the city!"
Yang pulled them two out of the hotel, a quick wave to Clover, who had an amused look on his face. Ren and Nora were quickly behind them. Once they were out of the hotel, they took in their surroundings. It had been a while since they were in the city for something non-business related. The spark of passion was reignited as the buildings loomed over them and the city people were out and about.
While it was a rather spacious city, it didn't leave much to excite when it came to the colors. It was a dull city, buildings close to each other, people crowded around, Atlesian Knights crawling from the depths of the city. Nevertheless, it was the most powerful kingdom on Remnant. And the most tainted. Politics over leaders were numerous, and the people were unafraid to be rowdy about it, gatherings occurring every night, sometimes during the day. That was why guards roamed everywhere. Grimm were practically drooling with power and akin to moths and flames. Every attack, Reaper Wolves would involve themselves and stop what Grimm they could, but many wolves couldn't bring themselves to kill their own kind. It was always traumatic.
Even so, the wolves that fought knew that if they let the amount of wolves they dealt with reach the city, the city would surely be downed. Reaper Wolves were more powerful when they weren't corrupted, but that didn't excuse the raw strength that Grimm had; they had narrow minds, only knowing how to attack humans and the source of despair. Thankfully, Ren's semblance could mask the utter pain and negativity that oozed from the pack as they attacked, with some help from Jaune.
Humans were a burden to Reaper Wolves, at least, that's how most of them saw it. They fought to keep humans safe when it was their destruction they caused. It wasn't even their job. But they still continued to protect the city to the best of their abilities. The people of the city didn't even know, and they still suffered many casualties from the few Grimm that were let loose.
Were humans weak or was the city? The city of corrupt power. The city of lies and deceit. The city of lost hope.
The city of Atlas.
A/N -
Alright! That... that was a doozy of a chapter to write. Like fuck, wow. Aight XD. Imma keep this short.
Wordcount is a little over 10k (with author notes), as was my goal. Now, I know y'all want Ruby and Weiss to get to the gud stuff and be fluffy babies, but remember... slow! (I am giving y'all the classic hotel and share a bed). I'll give ya what we ALL want soon enough. Chapters might be closer because I want to have multiple chapters for y'all to mull over, so take care of this one. The rest will be near 4-6k words.
Last thing: I switched up the POVs, and I didn't like it at all. Keep in mind that the next chapters will be cleaned up and be in Ruby's POV strictly. If I do switch POVs, i'll put notes like i do for scene changes. Speaking of that, how do y'all like those?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This was mostly an informational chapter and character introductions. The spicy action will be later. (I know this chapter was a tad boring, but yknow, gotta build a story!)
Don't forget to favorite and follow! I'm loving the support and read all the reviews. I take those to heart and make all of the time i spend on each chapter worth it ･ᴗ･