Pyrrha had gone off to explore the jungle the next morning. She moved swiftly through the trees. Leaping through the trees, swinging from branch to branch, vine from vine, carrying her makeshift spear in hand. As she swung from a vine, Pyrrha glanced below to see a herd of elephants walking below her.
Pyrrha smirked. She released her hold of the vine and dropped down to the elephants. She landed over the back of the lead elephant, who glanced up at the ape girl.
"Hello, Tantor," She said.
"I hope you don't mind me dropping in."
Tantor shook his head to the ape girl, uttering a trumpeting sound as he raised his trunk. As if to say that it was no trouble at all. He never minded whenever Pyrrha came to see him and his herd.
"Mind if I tag along?" Pyrrha asked, curiously.
Tantor groaned and he shook his head. Pyrrha smiled.
"Thank you." she said, rubbing the top of the elephants head.
Tantor raised his trunk, uttering a trumpet to her. Pyrrha settled over the elephant's back as they continued on through the jungle.
The elephants emerged from the jungle as the herd came out into a clearing. It was there that an open watering hole stood beneath a large waterfall. The herd came into the water, making their way toward the falling currents. The water came up all the way to Tantor's stomach as he came up to the water fall, coming up under the falling currents. Pyrrha turned as she was then splashed by the water falling over her.
She chuckled, glancing down at Tantor.
"Tantor." she chuckled to the elephant.
Tantor trumpeted as he raised his trunk in the air. Pyrrha laughed as she brushed her fiery red hair back behind her shoulder. She then turned and gazed out over the herd that was settling into the lagoon. Some of them laid within the water, slashing themselves or one another with their trunks. All while others simply stood over the surface of the water, relaxing.
Pyrrha then heard the small trumpeting of one of the younger elephants. She glanced up and saw two elephant calves, playing together along the outskirts of the herd. The two pushed one another back and forth, the water all the way up over the lower part of their backs. Though as they played, none of them noticed the large floating crocodile moving toward from down stream.
Pyrrha gasped in contempt.
"Oh no!" She called to the calves.
Pyrrha stood up over Tantor's back, holding up her makeshift spear. She then leaped off the elephant's back and landed over another's. All the while, the crocodile continue to floating closer to the calves, unnoticed by the rest of the herd and undeterred by them. Slowly the croc begin to submerged into the water as it prepared to claim it's quarry.
Pyrrha continued to leaped from elephant's back, when she then noticed the croc had disappeared beneath the water's surface. She squinted her eyes, scanning the water's surface. She then paused, noticing a dark shadow slowly closing upon the two calves. She gasped, widening her eyes.
"Watch out!" she called out to the elephants calves.
She then stood up and raised her spear into the air. Tantor and the rest of the herd gazed back at the ape girl in awe. Pyrrha then tossed her appear toward the calves. It flung between the elephant calves, who had then parted as it flew between them. The spear struck the shadow in the water, causing the crocodile to emerge from the water, hissing in pain of the spear plunged into it's back.
The elephants let out a great trumpet of fear at the sight of the crocodile. The two calves quickly turned and rushed back to the herd. Pyrrha leaped down from the elephant's back and pounced upon the crocodile's back. She plunged the crocodile down beneath the water's surface. The crocodile rolled, snapping it's jaws at the ape girl.
Pyrrha avoided each of the croc's attempts. She quickly grabbed her spear and pulled it out of the reptiles back, kicking the crocodile back.
The crocodile was pushed back several feet before it turned and swam toward her. It opened it's jaw's wide as it tried to claim her in his jaws. Only for her to grab hold it by it's jaw, holding it open. The crocodile shifted it's head back and forth, trying to break free of the ape girl's grip.
Pyrrha continued to hold back the crocodile with her gorilla like strength. Only to then throw it to the side, causing her to drop her spear in the prosses. She gasped, glancing down at her makeshift spear as it fell to the bottom of the lagoon. Pyrrha quickly swam down into the depth's below, reaching out for the spear. The crocodile had recovered and was once more swam down toward her.
It was moving fast. Closing the distance between it and the ape girl.
Pyrrha continued to swim as quickly as she could. Reaching down, she then grabbed the knife in the nick of time as the crocodile was now several feet from her. She turn to the crocodile, holding her spear to the crocodile as it open it's jaw wide.
The water turned red with blood as it emerged from the depths. Tantor and the other elephants stared in awe and concern for the ape girl. Of who's blood was it that rose from the depths of the lagoon? Was it Pyrrha's? Was it the Crocodile's?
The moments to follow were all but brought them worry and contempt. When suddenly, they saw Pyrrha emerged from the water's depths, gasping for air. She then saw toward the shallow banks, with her now bloodied spear. Dragging what was the now lifeless body of the crocodiles now lifeless body over the banks by it's jaw. She then paused, panting heavily.
She then dropped the crocodile over the banks, when she then heard the trumpeting of the elephants. Pyrrha glanced up and saw Tantor and the rest of the herd. The elephants raised their trunks into the air, giving a loud trumpeting in celebration of the jungle girl's triumph. As two did the two calves whom she had saved.
Pyrrha stood up with her spear in hand, glancing down at the body of the croc. She turned back to the elephants, where she held her spear over her head and uttered a loud victory call that echoed through the jungle.
Pyrrha was laying atop the branch of a nearby tree. She glanced down over at Tantor's herd as they continued to bath in the lagoon. She sighed in relief, seeing that they were now safe. Especially the calves. The ape girl laid back over the tree branch, peering up at the sky above.
But as she continued to stare, it was then that she noticed something flying high above the jungle. It looked like a white bird of some kind. But it was so high, it was hard to make out what it was. She leaned up over the branch, squinting her eyes at the the bird above.
"What is that?" she asked, herself.
Jaune Arc gazed out through the window of the airplane at the thick jungles of the Congo below. He breathed a sigh of relief, leaning his head back against his seat. He was seventeen years of age, with spiky blond hair, wearing a light blue T-shirt with Pumpkin Pete on it and light brown Cargo shorts. After what had been a twenty one hour flight from San-Francisco, they were finally here. No more then an hour or so from the Congo Airport. Professor Ozpin was probably already there, waiting for them now.
"Wow," he said to himself.
"Hey, Ruby, you got to see this."
Ruby leaned over next to him, where she saw the Congo jungle below. She then squealed in excitement.
"Oh my gosh," she said, smiling.
"We're here, we're here!"
She back in her seat, shuddering with excitement. She was fifteen years old, a year younger then Jaune. She had short black hair, sliver eyes, wearing a bright red shirt and cargo shorts. She glanced up at Jaune, grabbing his forearm as she shook him.
"Jaune, can you believe it?!"
She then proceeded to shake Jaune back and forth in his seat.
"Yes, Ruby." He insisted to her.
"I'm just as excited as you are."
Ruby then turned to Weiss, who was sleeping next to her. She also had a white sleeping eye mask over her eyes. he grabbed onto her shoulder and shook her awake.
"Weiss, wake up," she said.
"We're here!"
Weiss moaned as she lifted her eye mask from over her eyes. She then glanced to Ruby, who was smiling to her.
"Ruby..." she groaned, glancing to her sternly.
"Wake up, we're here, we're here!" Ruby exclaimed to her.
She then glanced to the isle of seats across from them, where her sister, Yang was sitting with her girlfriend, Blake who was reading a book.
"Yang, Blake, did you see?" Rwby exclaimed.
"Yes, Ruby," Yang insisted to her younger sister.
"We know."
Rub sat back down in her seat, glancing back up at Jaune in excitement.
"I can't believe we're finally here!" She insisted to her.
Weiss groaned as she pulled off her sleeping mask. She then turned and glanced to Ruby, annoyingly.
"Will you please keep it down," Weiss said.
"We haven't even landed yet."
"Come on, Weiss," Yang said, leaning forward.
"Lighten up."
"Yeah," Ruby agreed.
"Todays going to be our first day!"
Today was indeed going to be their first day as part of the African Wildlife conservation program. It was a volunteer program at Beacon High School that was suppose to find and study and protect endangered species in the Congo. And it was being held by Professor Ozpin, a former teacher at their school and zoologist. Any student that signed up would get to travel to Africa and receive extra credit to graduate.
It was Ruby who talked them into signing up to the program. Being that she loved animals and was a fan of Professor Ozpin's work, she wanted to contribute to animal Conservation. Jaune, Yang and Blake said they do it with her, wanting to support her.
Though Weiss took some convincing.
"I still can't believe you talked me into this." Weiss claimed to her.
"Come on, Weiss," Ruby said, wrapping her arms around Weiss's.
"We're Besties. You know besties always stick together."
Weiss glanced down at Ruby in annoyance.
"Ruby…." She said, glancing to her.
Only to be met with her Ruby's puppy dog eyes. Weiss then paused. Those eyes. Not those eyes again. She knew well that she couldn't say no to that face. She sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Whatever." she said.
Ruby smiled in glee, hugging Weiss's arm tightly. Much to her dismay. Jaune smirked. He then cocked his head, glancing back out the window of the plane. Much like Ruby, he had been anticipating this trip to Africa and was looking forward to seeing what awaited them.