Mama Yang-17
"Well girls, what do you say? You ready to go risk your lives, killing the creatures of Grimm?" Oobleck questioned.
"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss asked.
"Yes I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary girls. Seeing as how you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations. Rather we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland, and making camp in and defendable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all our essentials myself, provided the air course and readied the airship, and… it's Dr. Oobleck. I didn't earn a PhD for fun thank you very much." Oobleck said, getting in Weiss's face.
"Uhh…"
"Come now children, according to my schedule we are already 3 minutes behind schedule." Oobleck stated.
"Well alright then looks like we're going to save the world with, Dr. Oobleck, okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse." Ruby exclaimed.
"Athena, where's Saffron?" Yang asked, noticing Athena wasn't carrying her furry little friend around.
"I left her back at the dorm with Zwei." Athena said. "Unlike him, she can actually use a can opener."
"Save the world?" Nora's voice echoed out, giving Team RWBY the cue to turn and face Team JNPR. "You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt and sad. Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault though, Ren." Nora exclaimed turning to look at Ren, who looked away from her, crossing his arms.
"Sounds exciting, where you going?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, just outside the kingdom." Ruby said.
"Hey. So are we." Nora cheered.
"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village." Pyrrha explained.
"We set out tomorrow." Ren stated.
"Then you can party with us tonight." Neptune said, as he and Sun joined the conversation. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges."
"Ooohhooohh!" Jaune said in awe.
"We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk." Sun said, pointing to Team RWBY. "So we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, y'know, normal, and not filled with giant robots and stone titan girls."
"Well-"
"Four minutes ladies." Ooblecks voice called out from the airship.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Ruby broke it.
"Well, uh, wish us luck." Ruby exclaimed.
"Hold on, before you go…" Pyrrha said, grabbing Athena by the shoulder. "Athena, you're the one who tripped Jaune and I on the balcony last night, resulting in… what had happened, correct?"
"Y-yea." Athena said, afraid that she was busted.
"You what? Were you the one who threw the rocks at my head to?" Jaune asked.
"Well, she's quite the match maker." Neptune snickered. "I saw what that little move caused them to do. An' Jaune's quite the ladies man."
"You two never came back to the dorms last night, where did you go?" Nora asked.
"That's none of your business Nora." Jaune said confidently.
"Anyways, I'm not mad at you Athena." Pyrrha chuckled, before reaching under her shield on her back, and pulling something out from under it, and put whatever it was on Athena's head, and set it gently on her.
"What's this?" Athena asked, reaching up and feeling what was now on her head.
"It's my spare circlet." Pyrrha smiled. "I figured you'd look good in it. It's a thank you gift, for helping Jaune realize how I felt about him, with that stunt you pulled."
"Thanks." Athena said, with a bit of a blush. "But it's kinda wasted on me."
"No, it's not." Jaune said. "Even if you can't see how you look in it, that doesn't mean you're any less beautiful with it on."
"Athena, come on." Yang called half way to the airship.
"Get going we'll see you when you return." Pyrrha smiled, turning Athena around. "Just go straight, and Yang will grab your hand when you get to her."
Athena turned around and gave a quick hug to Pyrrha, before turning again, and running off to join her mom and the rest of her team.
After a short takeoff prep, the Team of six were up in the air, with Dr. Oobleck giving them a short history lesson about where they were going.
"I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter." Yang said.
"I admit, I fancy myself more of an, intellectual but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussels." Oobleck said.
"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked.
"Those are Truffles." Blake said.
"Like the sprout?"
"Those are Brussels." Yang said.
"I hope we're not having and Brussel Sprouts for dinner at camp." Athena said.
"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history, as well as my dabblings in the art of archeology surveys, our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular, assignment." Oobleck exclaimed.
"What does History have to do with this?" Weiss asked.
"The more you know about the past, the less likely you are to repeat it." Athena exclaimed. "History is like the backbone of society, we've managed to survive this far in the Kingdom, because we've learned from past mistakes."
"An' the liver, and probably the kidneys if I were to wager." Oobleck stated.
"An' all that means…?" Weiss inquired.
"The Southeast Quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves."
"But it's also the location to one of the Kingdom's Greatest Failures, isn't it? The civilization of Mountain Glenn?" Athena asked.
"That is correct Ms. Xiao Long. A+." Oobleck said with a thumbs up. "Someone's been reading their textbooks and doing their homework."
"Dr. Oobleck." Yang said, sounding a little offended.
"What?" He asked.
Yang motioned to the blindfold over Athena's eyes, and Oobleck realized what his mistake was.
"I am terribly sorry, I did not mean to be insensitive in my compliment." Oobleck said.
"Back to the topic on hand." Yang said. "Mountain Glenn was an expansion of Vale. But in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city. Mainly due to the fact it didn't have the same type of protection that Vale has."
"Correct, and now it stand abandoned, as a dark reminder." Oobleck stated.
"It's also a likely place for a hideout." Blake said.
"Precisely." Oobleck smiled adjusting his glasses as they began to make their descent.
Hopping down from the airship, the six of them got ready for any fight that might come their way.
"Ladies, you still may be students, and children, but as of this moment you first mission as Huntresses had begun." Oobleck exclaimed. "From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?" He questioned, earning a nod from all of them, before noticing something. "Ruby. I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school."
"But, uh you hadn't told us to listen to you yet…" Ruby said. "So I didn't."
'That's a weak excuse.' Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Athena thought.
"She's not wrong. Very well Ruby, leave you bag here we can pick it up upon our return." Oobleck said.
'He actually believed that excuse?' The others thought in shock.
"But I-whaa…"
"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with you?" Oobleck questioned, before Zwei popped out of it with a bark, resulting in an awkward moment of silence.
"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered to Zwei.
"Woof." Zwei responded.
"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought a dog?" Oobleck asked.
"Aunt Ruby, now Saffron's gonna be lonely while we're gone." Athena grumbled.
"I-uhh…"
"Genius." Oobleck stated, before zipping about, taking Zwei out of the bag.
"Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound. Making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours." Oobleck rambled on, spinning about with Zwei in his hands.
"I'm a genius." Ruby smiled.
"Saffron's gonna be lonely now." Athena grumped.
"No she's not." Ruby said, as Saffron's head popped out of the bag with a small roar.
"You brought her too?" Athena asked.
"Well yeah. You haven't even developed you Echo Vibration ability yet, so I figured I'd bring her along with Zwei to guard you." Ruby said as Saffron hopped out of the bag, and grew to be a little bigger than Athena.
"That's actually smart thinking Rubes." Yang said. "But how is Athena gonna hold onto Saffron while we're on the move?"
"I thought of that." Ruby said, pulling a belt, and a leash from her bag. "I asked Penny to make a collar for Saffron that could change size with her." Ruby said putting the belt on Saffron finding it actually fit perfectly.
"Cool." Yang smiled as Ruby attached the leash to the collar and handed the end of it to Athena.
"Now hang onto this tight, Saffron's gonna be your eyes now." Ruby said.
"So, what are your orders doctor?" Blake asked.
"Ah. Yes! Straight to the chase, I like it." Oobleck said, dropping Zwei. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity. Now there are several possible explanations for this behavior. One of which being… Grimm."
"Uhh, what?" Ruby asked.
"I don't think he's trying to make a joke." Athena said, noticing Saffron was growling.
"Athena, take a single step, and use your Earth Dragonslayer Magic to feel the vibrations and the rebounds." Saffron's voice echoed in her head.
Athena nodded and raised one foot, before stomping on the ground, doing her best to sense the vibrations through the ground, making out an indistinct shape in her mind's eye, as the vibrations went around something behind their group.
"There's a pack of at least twenty Beowolves behind us. Maybe more, could be less. I'm not sure." Athena said, holding tight to the leash.
"How do you know this? You're blind." Weiss asked.
"I used Echo Vibration. The image is a bit fuzzy since this is my first time, but I know it's a Beowolf. One of thems about 100 yards from us." Athena explained.
"What?" Yang asked as they turned around, unsheathing their weapons.
"Stop. There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area." Oobleck said. "The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity."
"Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, all qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent." Oobleck said.
Sniff-sniff…"I smell Ice."
"Ice?" Yang questioned.
"So, what now?" Ruby questioned.
"We wait, we track, if the specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey." Oobleck exclaimed.
"How long do we wait?" Yang asked.
"It's uncertain, hours, days, weeks, why lone Grimm have been known to stand isolated from the pack for months- and there's the whole pack." Oobleck said as the rest of the Beowolf Pack came and joined their lone companion.
"What?" Weiss questioned.
"An' now they've seen us."
"What?"
"AN' NOW THEY'VE SEEN US." Oobleck shouted.
"I take it tracking is out of the question." Ruby said.
"An accurate assumption, yes." Oobleck stated.
"What's the plan then?" Yang asked.
"Why not ask your daughter? She seems to already be in on the fight." Oobleck said.
"Huh?" Yang asked, looking down to see Athena was no longer standing beside Saffron and Blake was holding the leash. She turned towards the pack of Grimm, and saw Athena running for them, obviously using Echo Vibration to pinpoint where they were.
On the attack, Athena brought out the blades from the sides of her vambraces, and sliced several of the through their forearms, and chest cavities. Using her advanced hearing, Athena could discern an attack heading towards her from the sound of the wind rushing near her. Bending back, Athena managed to avoid the strike, and swinging her arms forward, fired off two Burn Dust arrows, causing an explosion that killed the Grimm as soon as its chest was pierced.
Getting back up, Athena was unable to dodge an attack that came from another member of the pack, before she was sent flying from the ground to one of the buildings behind her.
"Good thing, I had my Aura up, this time." Athena said, picking herself up. "I've lost my focus, I can't see with Echo Vibration anymore."
"That's enough then." Yang said.
"Mom?" Athena asked. "But what about?"
"Not long after you went to attack the Grimm, we jumped in the fight with you." Yang said. "But you can't be reckless and just go charging headlong into the fight."
"I just wanted to try and prove to myself that I can still be useful." Athena said.
"An' you can be." Yang exclaimed, helping Athena to her feet. "But you have to remain vigilant and do what Dr. Oobleck says. Saffron already dealt with the Grimm that attacked you, and we're in the clear now. You're still getting used to your Echo Vibration ability. Take it slow, one step at a time."
"Right." Athena said.
"Do not celebrate yet girls. For I believe this is the first bout, of many." Oobleck said. "Shall we continue?"
As the day went on, Athena just walked beside Saffron, holding onto her leash, only attacking Grimm when she was needed to deal with those that slipped past them. As they fought, Professor Oobleck began to question Team RWBY.
"Tell me Yang. Why did you choose this line of work?" Oobleck asked.
"Huh? Well, to fight monsters and sav-"
"No, that is what you do, I want to know why you do it." Oobleck said, interrupting Yang's answer. "The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."
"The honest reason?" Yang asked. "Originally it was to seek thrills. An' don't get me wrong, I still am a thrill seeker. But when I brought Athena into my life, I knew I had to change my ways, for better or worse. So I do this, to be someone my daughter can be proud of and keep calling her hero. An' to give her a brighter future."
"I see." Oobleck said.
~Weiss~
"An' you Miss Schnee, a girl born into fame and fortune, such as yourself, certainly doesn't need the extra work. So, why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?" Oobleck asked.
"It's exactly as you said." Weiss exclaimed, after piercing the heart of a Beowolf. "I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold, and rebuild from my father's disgraceful deeds since he took control of the company. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty, especially now that I myself am a Faunus."
"Interesting." Oobleck said, before jumping down.
~Blake~
"An' what about you Blake? You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose." Oobleck questioned, after Blake shot down several dozen tiny Nevermores that, flew out of the door she sliced open.
"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing." Blake said. "Inequality, corruption, someone has to stop it."
"Very well, how?" Oobleck questioned, before leaving Blake to ponder that inquiry.
~Athena~
"Now, Beacon's youngest and brightest student." Oobleck said, sitting next to Athena. "Tell me, what is it that, makes you want to be a huntress? What motivates you?"
"What motivates me?" Athena asked, leaning against Saffron's shoulder. "For as long as I can remember, I've been exiled, persecuted, left alone with no defense, tortured and even nearly died, all because I'm different, because I can control Grimm, and because I'm a Faunus. An' most of the time, I couldn't understand why I was hated so much, until I found out how badly the Faunus were treated." Athena explained. "I want to become a Huntress, so I can save those within my reach, and so they don't go through what I've gone through. I want to give them hope, save them from destruction with a smile on my face, just like the smile I would see on my mom's face every morning, since she took me in, and gave me a home, and sense of purpose."
"Interesting. You're wanting to become a Huntress, because it's your trauma that drives you." Oobleck said.
~That Evening~
"Alright girls, I believe that's enough for today." Oobleck said, tossing his bag to Yang. "You four set up camp in that building behind you. Oh and please do make sure that there are no more of those, creatures. Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby."
Marching off with Ruby following close behind him, Oobleck went to secure the perimeter finding several Grimm off in the distance. But as Athena took a step towards the building behind her, her Echo Vibration picked up something underground.
'A large room? No I think it's called a cavern. I think I found it.' Athena thought. 'I should tell Dr. Oobleck when he and Aunt Ruby return… or I could probably scout it out myself tonight, and report back on it. I'll prove my worth one way or another.'
A/N: Sorry just more filler, no action until next chapter.