Chapter 31 — Passed

"We didn't realize we were making memories.

We just knew we were having fun."

— Anonymous

The moment he had awaited with mixed feelings had finally come. Today, the girl would confront him with a Grimm anew. It was time to see if her training had borne fruits and the beast would accept him as it had accepted the human.

Adam quietly followed the girl as she led him to the clearing that had turned into a battle field the last time they had been there. It would be presumptuous of him not to feel even a hunch of apprehension. He had learned his lesson the last time he'd tangled with one of the Creatures of Grimm. And he had not forgotten the sacrifice the girl had made. Red eyes briefly glanced up at the bandage adorning the female's arm. She had assured him that the wound was only minor, but still he felt underlying guilt plague him. If things went south once again, he would make sure he could take care of it himself. There was no need for the human to get hurt again because of him.

He wondered since when he had become so protective of this particular girl, but brushed it off soon enough.

He looked up as the girl stopped in front of him, turning around to face him. Her face was serious, but there was a hint of something in her eyes. He was momentarily caught by the way her raven hair glimmered and swayed in the breeze that filtered through the clearing.

"Are you ready?"

Her gentle voice brought focus back to his mind. He gave a simple nod at her question to which she lifted her thumb and pointer finger to her mouth, emitting a short whistle. A few moments later, the heavy steps of a Grimm echoed behind her. The beast emerged with a growl from behind the bushes, coming to a stop at the human's side.

"As before, I will keep to the sidelines. But I will intervene if I have to." Then, a small smile graced her face. "Though I'm sure that won't be necessary."

With those last words spoken, she stepped away and let the two males face off. Adam attentively observed the Beowolf in front of him. So far, it had not moved, only giving him another short growl accompanied by a lick of its massive maw. The Grimm seemed to mimic him, studying its potential prey carefully.

Concentrate, he told himself. She has taught you all she can. If she thinks you're ready, then it should be fine.

Still, he missed the familiar weight of Wilt & Blush at his side.

Inhaling deeply, he lowered his body and outstretched his right hand. The first step was the most difficult one, and the Faunus could feel his heartbeat spike at the way the Grimm tensed up. Not letting up, he took the next step, and then another. With each new step, the Grimm grew tenser, its ears perking up and eyes narrowing. When he finally reached the Beowolf, Adam held his hand up for it to sniff. But, instead, the beast opened its maw and aimed for his face.

Screwing his eyes shut, Adam waited for the deadly bite.

Instead, the feel of a rough, wet tongue met his cheek, licking all the way up to his hairline. Eyes snapping open in surprise, the Faunus mutely stared at the Grimm — the most deadly creature on this planet — wagging its tail like a hyper dog. Its tongue lolled happily out its snout before assailing his face once more. The male gave a yelp of surprise as slobber was dragged along his cheek.

A laugh resounded behind the pair, and Adam was relieved when the girl called the creature back. Giving the Grimm a rub on its head, she smiled at Loki and thanked him for his help. The Beowolf gave her cheek a short nuzzle before leaving. Unable to contain his exhilaration, the male broke out in a hearty chuckle, surprising the girl. He had never laughed like that before.

"I can't believe this," Adam snickered. "The deadliest creature in the world my ass."

The human gave a laugh of her own. "They're not as threatening as you thought, are they? I told you there were more like pets than anything else. I really don't get how you people managed to turn them into the Grimm Reaper in disguise."

"Beats me," he answered, both snickering at the irony of the situation. When he'd regained his composure, Adam straightened and looked the girl dead in the eye. "Thank you. I would never have been able to do something like this without your help. I… I owe you."

She shot him a bright grin. "Don't sweat it. I only did what anyone else would've done; no need to repay me." Then, a look of mischief crossed her face. "I have an idea. To celebrate your passing."

The Faunus raised an curious eyebrow. "Which would be?"

"You'll find out."

Before anything more could be asked, a shrill whistle — different from the one before — echoed around the pair, then silence. He knew she had called for a Grimm, but Adam didn't know which one. She'd never used that whistle before. They were usually deeper, shorter. This one was high and long, almost like a melody.

His ears perked up when a loud caw echoed before the sound of wings flapping reached him. Looking to the tree line, his eyes went wide as he watched a Nevermore approach them. The giant bird hovered over the two before lowering itself and landing a short distance away. As soon as it touched ground, the girl jogged over to it. He watched in disbelief as the Grimm lowered its beak and she latched onto it, hugging it to her chest. He would have laughed at the comical image if he weren't so stumped.

She can control that!

Okay, he knew she was pretty much the boss of the Grimm around here. But this was a Nevermore! It was one of the most vicious Grimm to exist, not to mention a loner. Nevermore hated company, especially human company. They would fight any and everyone.

And yet here it was, preening the girl's hair with its sharp beak with such care as though she were one of its own.

Somehow, the girl never ceased to amaze him.

"Adam," Serena addressed him, turning to face him. "This is Aeolus, a good friend of mine. Aeolus, this is Adam. He's a new friend."

The bird cocked its head to the side, big red eyes watching him. It was the first time the male took notice of the amount of intelligence those red orbs harbored. He startled as the Grimm let out a loud screech, flapping its wings once.

"It's his way of greeting others," the girl explained to him as the creature lowered its head, seeming to wait for something. "To celebrate, we're gonna make a little trip. You're not afraid of heights, are you?" she asked with worry as though that were the most important thing here.

"Uh… By trip, you mean…"

"We're gonna fly!"

Contrary to her excited smile, Adam felt his stomach clench at the statement. Fly on a Nevermore. By the Maidens, she intended to fly on the blasted thing!

His stupor did not hinder the girl from taking his hand and practically dragging him to the waiting bird. She climbed on first before calling for him. Ripped from his state of shock, he followed her instructions before seating himself behind her. The feathers beneath were softer than he would have thought and he took a cautious glance over the edge, noting how far away the ground was.

Sure, he had flown before. In a bullhead and such. But never before had he even thought about flying a Nevermore. And now he was perched on the back of one with a human who seemed to be completely at ease.

"Hold on tight!"

He barely had time to heed her warning. The Grimm flapped its mighty wings and, in the blink of an eye, they were airborne. Arms wrapping around the girl's torso in fright, Adam practically latched onto her like a monkey. He felt her heartbeat as it raced in her chest and it gave him something to concentrate on, other than the fact that he was currently hundreds of feet above ground with no safety belt whatsoever.

The bird circled the forest lazily and he finally found the courage to look down. Everything looks so small… Somehow, he was seeing Vale in a new perspective. For the first time he noticed the ruins off to the west or how small the city looked in the distance.

"This is safe, right?!" he asked, voice barely audible over the torrent of winds around him. The possibility of falling off the Grimm and ending as a pancake on the ground crossed his mind, inciting to further tighten his death-grip on the girl.

"Sure!" she wheezed out in front of him. "Um, could you loosen your hold a bit? It's getting kinda hard to breathe."

Adam blushed slightly — the Maidens help him; he never blushed! — and shifted his hold on her, arms now wrapped more loosely around her waist. It was also the first time he noticed how slight the girl was. Adam barked a laugh at the revelation: He, a seasoned member of the White Fang and one of its tallest, was clinging to a human that barely reached his shoulders.

"I hope you like loopings!"

The warning was a bit late. Before he could reply, the Grimm dipped down before performing a total of three loops. Adam had resumed his death-grip on the girl, though she didn't seem particularly bothered by it this time. Once he overcame the initially shock, he actually found himself enjoying the Grimm's antics.

The girl sure knew how to have a good time.

Nevertheless, he was profoundly grateful when his feet touched solid ground once more. Clambering off the Grimm on shaky legs, he waited for the girl that was saying goodbye to her feathered friend. She burst into laughter as soon as she turned around and Adam was left to blink at her, confused. What he did not notice was the way his hair was sticking in every which way, ruffled by the winds and no longer in its carefully styled fashion. He watched with a mix of confusion and amusement as the human gripped her stomach, bending over with the force of her laughter.

"What?" he asked, voice dumbfounded. Maybe she had flown too many loops?

"Your- Your hair!"

He blinked once more before running his hands over his head, eyes turning concerned. "What? What's with my hair?"

"It's… a complete… mess!" she managed to answer between laughs, laughter intensifying at his incredulous face.

Adam immediately fussed over his hair. Styling it was hard enough when he had a mirror, but out here, all he had was the pond. He hoped it didn't look too bad. He really liked his hair the way it usually was.

Ceasing her merriment, the girl walked over to him. Grabbing his arms by the elbow, she gently tugged them down, stopping him from trying to get some form back into it. "Leave it; it looks good."

The corners of his lips curled at the way her eyes widened and her face instantly took on a darker shade, a pretty blush covering her cheeks. Spinning around, she walked on ahead, saying how she was tired and that it was getting late. Agreeing, the duo made their way back to her home where they ate a hearty dinner before retiring to their beds.

But even then, Adam could not get rid of the smile that had since been plastered on his face.

EDITED: 26/09/2018

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.