After three tree branches falling on Carly and the wind practically strangling Sam, they both came to the conclusion that they would be unable to tell team RNJR the truth regarding themselves. That being decided, they still needed to provide the younger members of their group an explanation. The two females had said, "We need to tell you something" so they couldn't just write that off. Not only that but both Carly and Sam had no idea how to fight, so their lie about being licensed huntresses would be found out quickly.

Thinking quickly, Carly spoke, "The truth is that we took a long break from being huntresses. We had a lot of…things we needed to deal with and it has really impacted our skills as fighters. So we aren't in our top, uh, condition."

Sam subtly looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye before partaking in the act, "Yeah, we're pretty rusty. Which is why we want to go to Haven Academy, to brush up on our skills so we can return to doing huntsman jobs."

Going by the looks they received, the quartet were shocked but bought the lie. Jaune spoke first, "Why didn't you just tell us that from the beginning?"

"Was you not being in Shion during its attack a lie too? Did you blame yourself for not being able to defend it because you're not as strong as you once were?" Ren asked, his voice so monotone that it was hard to tell if he was secretly angry at them, or trying to be comforting to their possible shame.

"No, no! We honestly arrived after what happened! We aren't lying about that," Carly tried earnestly to show that she was genuine on that one fact.

Sam touched her shoulder in support before saying, "It's just complicated, that's all."

Jaune frowned slightly as if he was unsure as to believe them, something Carly didn't blame him for. However, it was Ruby who spoke next, "Well you told us now and we're glad of that. And you're still welcome to travel with us if you want."

Carly smiled softly as Sam said, "We're good with that if you are."

"There's nothing else you need to tell us?" Jaune asked, suspicion in his voice.

'Yes. We're secretly from a different dimension where you all are fictional characters in an online show based on a bunch of fairy tales and stories that we religiously watch and love talking about and know many events that will occur in the near future. Oh and there is also a crazy, immortal, I-want-to-destroy-everything-because-I-pissed-off-the-Gods sorceress who is hunting for magic relics that can only be unlocked by specific magical ladies frolicking about. And I can't tell you any of this because a freaking tree will fall on me and kill me!'

"Nope."

"This sucks!" Carly groaned as she stretched her limbs, feeling the scrapes and bruises from when she was wacked with three branches.

"It's not that bad, Carly," Sam said, "We may not be able to tell Ruby and the others what we know, but maybe there's a way we can help them that doesn't involve us sharing spoilers," Sam tried to joke at the end.

After hours of walking, the small band had decided to make camp. The sun was setting and darkness was slowly overtaking the sky. As the stars glimmered up above, both Carly and Sam were surprised to notice the temperature didn't drop much, remaining a comfortable degree. The occasional breeze caused goosebumps but it was very rare.

The gang had had a quaint meal with a calm air to it. At first the conversation was awkward both because of everyone getting used to their newest companions as well as some remaining hesitation from the discussion earlier that day regarding Sam and Carly's…ahem, 'huntress skills'. However, the atmosphere warmed up and everything seemed to eventually be put behind them, causing everyone to indulge in comforting talks. Once dinner was eaten and cleared, everyone set up their sleeping arrangements.

Carly and Sam were surprised to see that they themselves also had equipment for such a situation, as well as other items such as canteens, scrolls (devoid of contacts though), dust, and camping necessities.

Indulging her friend with a smile, Carly said dryly, "Can we take the route that doesn't involve me constantly being battered with a stick? Seriously, those weren't pieces of kindling, they felt like logs! And I don't want to have to pick anymore leaves from my hair."

Here, Sam laughed before offering, "So long as we don't try to blatantly try to tell the plot of the story to them, I think you'll be fine."

The two friends had walked a distance from the group in order to have some privacy for their talk, so they were able to speak freely of their current situation. They were currently in a small forest with a clear stream flowing by.

Sam was sitting on a fallen log, quiet as the two let their minds wander. After stretching the kinks out of her limbs, Carly moved to sit beside her friend. As she did so, she let out a soft sigh and watched the forest rustle around her.

As Carly tried to recall what events would specifically occur in order from here on out, she heard a crunch behind her. Both brunettes whirled around to see that it was Jaune walking up to them.

"Hey, uh, everyone else is going to get some sleep, so just make sure to be quiet when you two decide to do the same," the blonde said before walking away, his hand drifting toward his sword.

Knowing that the young man was heading to do some sword practice in a more secluded area that offered more privacy, a terrible thought entered Carly's mind. She grabbed Sam's arm quickly, causing Sam to look at her with a surprised look. Carly brought a finger to her lips and nodded her head to Jaunes direction.

Sam raised her eyebrows but remained quiet as the two females waited till Jaune was far enough away.

"What is it?" Sam whispered, seeing the panicked look on Carly's face.

Carly bit her lip and said as quietly as possible,

"The Nuckelavee."

Horror filled Sam's face, her skin paling and her hands gripped the log below her in fear.

Images of the hellish horse human Grimm hybrid overtook Carly's mind, of the destruction is caused and the lives it took.

This didn't just suck…

This was dangerous.

Neither of them could fight and not only would they have to deal with possible average Grimm, they would eventually be faced with a monster that had been around for years. A monster that could, and most likely, would, kill them.

Carly ran her hands over her face as she tried to force the negative emotions away. These feelings would only draw attention to any nearby Grimm, and with it being nighttime, they couldn't afford such an encounter.

Good God what were they going to do?

The brunettes brown eyes wandered to her weapon leaning against the log next to her.

Did they have time to train themselves to be able to defend themselves before they faced the ancient Grimm? Could they train themselves? Or would their interference only lead to more loss and destruction?

Before the questions could spiral her mind to a dark place, Carly heard shuffling and turned to see Sam had stood up, a determined look on her face.

"Well I don't know about you, but I am not going to face that thing unprepared," her friend said.

Carly frowned in confusion and asked, "What?"

Sam gave her an uplifting smile before reaching down to grab her bow and quiver filled with arrows. She strung the quiver over her shoulder and announced, "I'm gonna go and get some practice with these. Then when the time comes, I can defend myself! Who knows, maybe I'll unlock my semblance and figure out how to use my aura!"

Once her friends' words registered in Carly's mind, she smiled in admiration at her friend. Sam was the kind of person who never stopped getting up after being knocked down or anything of the sort. And her positive energy was so infectious that one couldn't help but feel a little bit better upon witnessing it.

With such positive energy fueling the air, Carly felt her own determination rise. She leaned over and picked up her hobby horse hammer and slung it over to rest on her shoulders.

"Sounds like a plan."

As Carly leaped into the air and swung her hobby horse hammer, she just missed hitting the truck, and ended up tripping as she landed on her feet.

Groaning, Carly rose to her feet and looked back to see Sam ready another arrow before she aimed and fired. The arrow whisked through the air before it landed just short of the tree she herself was aiming at.

Both their targets had scrapes and scratches from when the two had been able to get a direct hit. Sam's tree had a few arrows imbedded into its bark, more scattered about than grouped together.

Weirdly enough, as soon as they started training, something inside both females clicked.

The thing was that, back in their realm, both brunettes had discussed what they kind of huntresses they would have liked to have been if they were in Remnant. They discussed what kind of fairy tale they wanted to connect themselves to, their weapons, a little bit of their outfits, and the semblance they might have. And since arriving to the RWBY realm, the resemblances to what they imagined and what they currently had were uncanny.

That being said, they were nowhere near the level of skilled as their imaginary Remnant selves. This was strange because during their training, in the back of their minds, it was almost as if the fighting was second nature.

Carly couldn't help but associate this feeling with remembering how to ride a bike—to a degree that is. If one hadn't ridden their bike in years and tried to get right back to it, they would need some time to get used to it. Especially if the rider had gained or lost weight, gotten taller possibly, and the bike seat was too high up but they couldn't change it because the thing was old and rusted beyond movement.

The ability was there, but it was so buried and rusted that it would be some time before one remastered the technique.

'Or maybe I'm just overthinking it,' Carly thought to herself. Either way, she felt that she was doing way better than she expected herself too. They both still had a long ways to go, but if they kept it up, they would at the very least be able to defend themselves from what was coming in the future.

Taking a break, Carly walked over to Sam and touched her shoulder. Her friend lowered her bow and looked at her.

"How about we try to see if we can activate our auras and then get some sleep? We don't want to be travelling without some rest," Carly suggested.

Sam looked back at the tree she had been firing at for a few moments before turning back to her and saying, "I think that's a good idea."

Once Sam had collected her arrows, both she and Carly sat down cross legged.

"Let me know if you have any advice or…I don't know, an apostrophe," Carly joked.

"I think you mean epiphany," Sam smirked, teasing her back.

"Actually no, because if you figure something out—in a cartoon—an apostrophe appears over their head," Carly continued to joke.

Sam stared at her for a long moment before saying slowly, "Carly...that's a exclamation point. An apostrophe is a punctuation mark."

Carly opened her mouth to argue, when her mind immediately realized she was in fact wrong.

"I think those branches that fell on me did some brain damage..." Carly groaned in embarrassment, covering her face with her hands.

"I think so too," Sam laughed slightly before saying, "Still, I will let you know if I have and epiphany or an exclamation point."

She then closed her eyes in what appeared to be deep focus.

Pushing her embarrassment down, Carly following suite, closing her eyes and trying to think about how one would activate their auras. They couldn't just ask Ruby and her teammates, that would be way too suspicious.

Would it be a feeling that they embraced? A thought process? Or was there something more complicated to it than that?

She tried to just imagine herself activating it but that didn't make her feel any different, and when she tried to just bring a feeling of protectiveness out of her heart, it did nothing as well.

Carly didn't know how long they sat there in an almost meditative state, but at one point she heard Sam gasp. Carly shot her eyes open just in time to see Sam's body covered in a green energy before it faded.

Sam's eyes' opened and a look of awe was etched into her features.

Blinking rapidly, Carly whispered, "You did it!"

Her friend shook her head before saying, "Yeah, I did! Were you able to—?"

Carly shook her head.

Sam reached out and grabbed her hands before whispering, "Close your eyes," to which Carly did.

A moment later Sam spoke, "Okay, first, focus on your heartbeat. Feel the energy from it just beating."

Carly nodded and did as she was instructed. It took a second but she finally was able to latch onto what she believed Sam was describing.

"Good, now just imagine that energy expanding bit by bit, until it engulfs your entire body. Don't lose sight of it either, because it gets' harder to hold onto as you try to make it fill your entire body," Sam instructed.

It was indeed difficult and there were instances where Carly had to start over, but finally, after a bit of a struggle, Carly was able to do as Sam said. It was then that she felt that energy almost…solidify. As if an extra layer of clothing or armor was placed over her, but it was so light that one might miss it. She opened her eyes to see Sam beaming at her.

"You did it!" Sam congratulated.

Smiling back at her friend, Carly nodded and said, "Yeah. It's gonna take some time to make that habitual, but at the very least we know how to use it!"

"I agree, but maybe we'll focus on that tomorrow. I'm ready to head to bed," Sam said, and it was only then that Carly noticed how tired she felt. And going by the way Sam looked, she shared the feeling.

They got up and walked back to rest of the group to see that Jaune was also asleep, snoring softly, so they were up longer than he was.

Exhausted, Carly wriggled herself into her sleeping bag, seeing Sam do the same. As Carly closed her eyes, she heard Sam whisper softly, "Goodnight Carly."

"Goodnight Sam," she whispered back, just as softly.

Not far from them, a single ash black crow was asleep in a tree, keeping a safe distance away, but still close enough to keep an eye on the small group.

Authors note: I know that maybe the description I gave about them training their skills and how they feel like its second nature might be a bit confusing. Allow me to clarify. They have a natural skill at fighting but they just need to activate it (kind of how a game character unlocks certain skills once they reach a certain level), which will only do so with practice and time. But not as long as others because that would, in my opinion, have a negative effect on the story, remember this intends to be a comedy. It's somewhat kind of cheating, I know, but I more want to focus on the characters interacting and being involved in the fight and this was the best way I saw to make it fit. Especially with all the fighting the show does. So please suspend your disbelief just a bit.

Second note: I just noticed I mistook apostrophe for exclamation point just a few moments ago and could get to sleep without fixing it. Haha, sorry about that everyone. Will try to post another chapter in the next few days. Thank you for the comments!