Ruby had been a normal girl, with normal knees. At least, that was how she had been born. Nowadays, she was a huntress in training on the prowl for her next prey. She used her semblance to go from tree to tree, boosting her speed like a ninja. Her teammates followed suit. Yang and Weiss traveled from below while Blake kept up with her on the canopies.
They found their quarry on a clearing adorned by a fallen building, a remnant of the failed Mountain Glenn project. Everyone in Vale knew about it's history. An expansion of Vale, a bustling city with a strong perimeter and an intricate subway system. Yet, it was all a matter of location. With no natural defenses, it was overwhelmed by Grimm. Ruby herself hated that story. To see such hopes dashed by the unrelenting Grimm always made her uneasy. She would find her strikes stronger and her aim off whenever thinking about it.
All the more reason for her to eliminate the Grimm surrounding it. They had remote communication in their scrolls.
"Stop" With that simple order, all movement ceased. An Alpha Beowulf stood by, smelling around the ruins for fresh kills.
Ruby landed on a branch, overlooking the creature. Yang and Weiss waited below, hidden behind rocks and bushes. She heard Blake land near her.
"What now?" she asked. Ruby smiled as she pulled out Crescent Rose, switching it to sniper mode and lining up a shot on the Beowulf's head. She took a deep breath. The air smelled strangely fresh despite being near a dilapidated city.
"Alright sis, give the order and we'll take him!" Yang said in her comms.
"Not yet," Ruby replied in a calm voice, her vision and mind focused solely on her shot.
"Huh? It's only one! It's an alpha, but still…" Ruby had a perfect target. The Alpha Beowulf was smelling west, and they were south. She had a perfect view of it's long bone covered snout.
"Beowulves rarely hunt alone. Port said that, remember?"
"Right,"
"Be ready for the onslaught," She heard a few hums from nearby.
"It's so strange to hear you so focused, Ruby," Weiss commented.
"I'm going to be a huntress. I need to be, but I do feel excited," She was. She was giddy she could be so focused, but as soon as that thought came her aim got a little more wobbly. She had to regain concentration. Her current magazine had a caliber that was expensive, powerful, and in short supply, not something to be used in fast combat to propel herself in the air as she usually did.
She took a deep breath, and then pulled the trigger. Time slowed down as the shot rang. Ruby didn't doubt her skills. Not after training so much with Cinder and her Uncle. While Qrow had the capacity of hitting his shots even in the most ridiculous situations, Cinder had the precision to never need multiple.
She took that as inspiration. That's why she was a sniper as well as a reaper. She hit dead on. The Grimm's head broke and black ooze splattered behind it as the body fell down.
Satisfied and smelling the gun smoke, she pulled the lever and loaded another round.
A cry rang out, followed but another and another. Soon, from the thicket and the tilted building, Beowulves began pouring out like a stampede. Ruby counted them as they converged upon their fallen leader.
They knew. They had good hearing. In a few seconds, they all turned towards the group hidden in the forest. With multiple shouts that sent vibrations felt by even Ruby, the horde of up to twenty beowulves charge them, claws scrapping at the earth.
"Alright!" Even trough her comms, she could hear Yang cock Ember Celica.
"Not yet!" She shouted, watching with shaking eyes the incoming horde of darkness.
"Ok…" Yang was getting impatient. Ruby could tell. The Beowulves crossed the half point between them and their fallen leader. That was it.
"Now Weiss!"
"Acknowledged!" Multiple red tinted glyphs burst forth in front of the incoming Grimm. In a second, their glow and rotation intensified until the point they seemingly burst into flames. Ruby could see many of the monsters disappear, turned to ash or blown away.
"Nice work," Blake commented from beside her.
"Thanks. I wanted to use it since Port told that crazy survival story," Ruby commented with a blush. Pride swelled in her chest.
From behind the wall of flames however, a group of Beowulves jumped trough, charging at them with even more fury than before. There were more than those that were taken out. Had she miscalculated their numbers? They were closing in fast.
Ruby readied her sniper once more. She had to thin them out.
"No choice now!" Yang charged ahead like a rocket.
"Yang, wait!" Weiss was too late as Yang collided with the first Beowulf she found, quickly using Ember Celica to punch it's legs before delivering a decisive blow to it's head.
"Go help her Blake!" Ruby shouted as she began firing Crescent Rose at the Grimm attempting to surround Yang. Weiss also got out of her hiding spit and engaged.
Ruby switched from left to right in a flash, landing perfect shots against the Beowulves. No misses, no mistakes, no hesitation. She killed a Beowulf that tried to bite Yang's gauntlets, freeing her and allowing her to continue.
Blake fought the Grimm one on one, using her clones to distract any unwanted guests. Her acrobatics and agility was enough to allow her to land decisive and lethal blows. And if a Beowulf managed to pounce on her, Ruby would intercept it.
Weiss didn't need assistance, even if Ruby tried. The second a shot was lined up, Weiss had already taken out the target. As expected from her best buddy.
Despite the increasing number of reinforcements coming from seemingly thin air, despite her loud shots making her ears ring and her worry about her teammates fighting in the front lines, each and every shot was perfect. Would her mom be proud of her? No. She was up there, they were down there. Her mom was a hero, she would not approve of such cowardice.
Her mind made up, Ruby switched to scythe mode and used her semblance to get away from her perch and into the fight.
Blake and Yang were fighting in the front, near the smoldering fire wall. They were using the combination attack Bumblebee to cover more ground, with Weiss as support from behind.
Yet, no one was covering Weiss herself. In the end, a Beowulf managed to sneak up behind them, targeting the SDC heiress. It prepared to pounce her. Weiss saw it, eyes widening and body twisting to attack. She would not retaliate on time. But Ruby would.
She deactivated her semblance and shot behind her. The massive recoil propelled herself and her scythe to slash at the Grimm. She cut it in half, It's body dispersing in the air as black guts splashed over Weiss. It would have been funny, if not for the smell of something horrible now coating her teammate.
"Got your back!" She beamed, but Weiss simply flapped her soaked arms.
"Weren't you supposed to provide fire support?!" Weiss asked in her usual demeanor, all while continuing to fight Grimm alongside Ruby. The two huntresses dashed together, one knocking the Beowulves off balance in one direction before the other came from the another to finish it off.
As they finished their maneuver, Ruby found time to reply.
"I just… it felt wrong to not be at your side," she replied. Weiss gave her a strange look, blushing a little.
No time came to reply as a dead beowulf fell in front of them both, stomped under the boot of a panting and smiling Yang Xiao Long.
"Got them all," she replied. From behind landed Blake, tired, panting and a little bruised. Instantly, Ruby was on her.
"You okay, Blake? I'm so sorry, I should hav–" Blake stopped her with a hand, keeping her at a distance. It hurt inside a little, for some reason.
"I'm okay Ruby. My aura just dropped a little,"
"I– I see, so that's all, huh?" Ruby looked around, scanning the area, Scythe on hand.
"Yup. Wasn't so hard after all," Yang said, strolling around with hands on the back of her head.
Ruby felt the air shift, and she instantly turned around. The dead Beowulf was not dead after all. It jumped on her, jaw open to crush her head like a grape. It would not succeed, her aura was full. She could take it down in one fell swoop.
And yet, before anything else could happen, a fiery projectile shot past her, into the Grimm, making it explode into a ball of flame and smoke that left nothing behind. The four huntresses in training had to cover their eyes.
When everything was over, Ruby looked astonished in the direction the projectile came from. A forest expanded far beyond her sight. To make a shot trough that…
"You need to be more careful, you know?" Ruby heard a familiar voice in her comms.
"R-Right. It's clear. You can come over," She heard a hum before the line went dead.
It didn't take long for Cinder to emerge from the treeline by jumping from over one of the trees and landing gracefully on the ground, not minding any kind of fall damage. It was something Ruby aspired to be, a huntress and a hero capable of saving everyone and doing it in style, just like her mother and sister.
As soon as Cinder approached them, Ruby was at her side.
"So… how did we do?" She asked her sister. Cinder simply walked past her towards where the second Alpha Beowulf had disintegrated, and picking up the charred arrow that was left.
"Why are you asking me? How did you think you did?" Cinder asked, not looking at her. At her dismissal, Ruby felt herself grow smaller.
"But… aren't you the teacher?" Ruby asked, clashing her index fingers together like a child in trouble. She was better than this, much better, so she told herself, but in the end, she could not shake the fact that she was in front of a person she greatly admired, if she was a bit disillusioned with her. In the end, Cinder was a huntress, and her view of her as a huntress mattered.
"Right now, I'm a huntress, and you are a team I'm assisting. This is your mission to accomplish. How well you do it is up to you," There she went again, trying to distance herself. Ruby couldn't help but wonder why that was. "You didn't answer my question."
Ruby snapped to attention. "Oh. Umm… I think we did well. Only problem was we underestimated their numbers," Cinder stood up, one eye hidden behind her black hair.
"Exactly. You underestimated them. Never underestimate your opponent. Never take half measures. Make sure everything you do is deliberate, and that you are committed to it," Ruby nodded, even if her head didn't move with as much force as she wanted. She was hesitating.
Ruby looked behind, towards her team. Yang was showing off something to Weiss, to which she facepalmed, maybe a pun. Blake opted to approach her.
"So what now?" She asked. Ruby instantly turned to Cinder, waiting for her orders. However, Cinder's face remained impassive with her eyes narrowed.
"You're the leader. You have to make the decisions," Cinder said, crossing her arms. Ruby looked away. Blake did not.
"You're the huntress here. Aren't you supposed to take charge?" Ruby turned to Blake, who was standing at her full height and in a mildly confrontational stance against Cinder.
"Like I told Ruby, I'm here to assist,"
"Standing safe and tucked away, taking pot shots at the Grimm. Very useful," the sarcasm was palpable, and Cinder responded by stepping up to Blake, using her however small difference in height to her advantage. Ruby felt herself blush, seeing how she had done something similar to what Blake criticized. Every other sound seemed drowned out.
"Everyone has a role in a team. Some people get more dangerous jobs at times. That's how it is." Cinder's voice had a dangerous edge on it, but she made no effort to do anything else as Blake's frown turned to a full glare.
"That's not how it should be," Blake stepped up.
"I don't care," Cinder did the same, the distance between the two was at a minimum now. Ruby didn't know what to do, she was not good at breaking up conflicts. Everything except them was silent, which was a good sign of no more Grimm.
Luckily, Yang was there to save her.
"Ooookay… that's… break it up please. We can fight later," Yang said, stepping into the space between Cinder and Blake and pushing them away from each other. Ruby breathed a sign of relief as neither Blake nor Cinder seemed interested in pursuing their conflict.
Ruby watched Blake turn away and cross her arms, while Cinder seemed to have a bit of shame on her, and looked away with a scowl. Yang was just happy to break them up.
"So, what now, Ruby?" Weiss asked, now at her side. Ruby bit her lip. She was fine being team leader when it was just them, but with Cinder here, she felt safer delegating to her. Since she seemed opposed to taking charge for now, she had no choice. Ruby couldn't go wrong, could she?
She turned to the sky. The sun was setting, bathing their little clearing in an orange light while the building cast an ominous shadow over them. Some Grimm were more aggressive at night, others not so much. With Blake's enhanced eyesight, hunting them could be easier. But they didn't know what kind of Grimm there were out there. The area, however, was dead silent outside a few birds in the distance and animals moving between the trees and bushes.
"Weiss, you've been counting Grimm?" She asked her. Weiss nodded, the rest of the team turning attention to her. "How many and what kind have we found?"
"We have found Boarbatusks, Beowulves, Griffons, Sabyrs, and couple sentinels. All in herds with upwards of five members." She stated in a nearly robotic voice. Ruby rubbed her chin.
"I see. How are all your aura levels?" She asked, not turning to face everyone.
"I'm half," was Weiss' reply.
"Me too," said Blake, rubbing her shoulders and closing her eyes, as if trying to feel it.
"Doesn't matter. I'm always ready to go," said Yang, smashing her knuckles together. Cinder sighed.
"Yang, you can't always charge ahead," she said.
"I know that," Yang replied, putting her hands on her hips, as if insulted.
"Doesn't seem like it. I saw how you immediately went on the offensive despite Ruby's order," Cinder said.
"The plan had to hell already!" Yang now threw her arms up. Cinder was unfazed.
"Does not matter. I-"
"O-Okay, enough already!" Ruby said, her exclamation accompanied by closed eyes. "We're taking a break and continue tomorrow. Is that alright?" She opened them, looking at her team. All eyes were on her, all opened fully.
For a moment no one said anything, until Yang let out a deep breath. "I'll get some firewood," she said, walking towards the treeline.
"Gonna punch the trees down?" Blake asked, obviously trying to be funny.
"You guessed it Blakey," Yang replied with a wink. Blake shook her head before looking at Ruby with a smile. For a moment, Ruby felt something. Something… not pleasant… and she knew feeling that was not pleasant.
"I'll help her," With that, Blake chased after her partner, but not before shooting Cinder a dirty look. Since when did Blake become enemies with Cinder?
"Let's set up camp then," Cinder said, pulling her backpack off her shoulders and dropping it into the ground. Ruby and Weiss followed suit. The clearing was only adorned by small talk from then on.
In a few hours the camp was set. Field work was something Cinder enjoyed, away from civilization, from big cities like Atlas or Vale. The smell was completely different, and felt free of anything unlike the cramped air of the capitals. Still, one thing lumbered north. The fallen Mountain Glenn, a carcass that sent a feeling of death and decay over them, polluting the air.
Qrow had went there. He said he would go in and out. She heard nothing from him since that morning. Communications reached up to that zone, so unless he was deep underground, he should have called or something. Or not, he was prone to disappear, and always left her worried.
Cinder watched the dilapidated City, the shattered moon behind it. They went well together, far too well. She considered leaving RWBY and searching for her uncle. They could take care of themselves, and at least one of their members didn't like her much.
She was distracted by Yang plopping down the cut wood over the fire pit while Weiss brought out a little red dust canister from her pocket.
Before she could say anything, yang was on teasing mode.
"What are you doing?" She asked her. Weiss looked up with a raised eyebrow and a scowl.
"Lighting the fire. Want to sleep in the cold?" At her aggressiveness, Yang snickered.
"You never went camping before? Don't know how to lit a fire the normal way?" Cinder could see Weiss' face grow red. It was always amusing to see the bubble Atlesians lived in popped.
"This is the normal way," she replied. Yang now burst out into laughter.
"It's not. Here," Yang took a rock out of her bag, and began to slam it against a deployed Ember Cellica's metal plate.
"Be careful!" Weiss shouted, retreating a bit from her teammate.
"The safety's on," Yang said, still concentrated on creating sparks.
"Are you sure?" Yang stopped for a moment, as if pondering something. Then, she fumbled around her gauntlets a bit before a click was heard.
"Sorry. Now it's on." she said with a smile. Weiss groaned as the two women went back to their task. Soon, after some sparks on a few dry leaves and branches, a fire began to form. Slowly, but Yang was careful maintaining and blowing it. In the end, a smoldering blaze was under the logs.
Yang took a step back to admire her handiwork.
"And there we go," Yang said, hands on her waist, proud of herself.
"Alright, but I'm still cold,"
"Just give it time,"
"With fire dust, we'd have a pyre going on right away,"
"But where is the fun in that?"
"Yang, we're on a mission. Fun is secondary,"
"See what I'm getting at when I call her Ice Queen?" Yang said, obviously talking to Cinder. Now added to the conversation, Cinder turned towards the growing fire.
"I know. I have an Ice Queen myself," Cinder winked at Weiss, who remained annoyed. A cold wind blew trough the area, carrying a damp smell from the forest. "But she's right, fun is secondary. It's better to be practical," With that, Cinder went to the warming wood and put her hands on it.
"Uh… what are you doing?" Ruby asked, back from setting up the sleeping bags.
Cinder simply smiled. With a deep breath, she began using her semblance, feeling her aura transform into heat energy and being transmitted into the wood. In no time, it was heating up and nearly blazing red. She could control her aura some, which would allow her to morph the heated object. But if she let go…
As she took her hands off, the heat in the wood exploded outwards, instantly igniting the fire to full power. The flame slowly rescinded a little as it began to consume the unlit wood. But they had heat and light at least.
"So much for camping. You truly are the epitome of fun, sis." Yang said, taking a seat near Ruby, who was immersed in the universe of a comic book. Cinder took a seat near Weiss. Soon, Blake joined them too around the campfire, sitting on her own in the middle of the two groups.
"We are still camping, I just made it faster," Cinder replied.
"Aren't you always the one telling me to 'take it slow'? 'To wait'?" Yang was now imitating a refined person, with a ridiculous voice to boot.
"In regards to fighting. And I don't sound like that," Said Cinder.
"Yes you do,"
"You kind of do sis," Said Ruby, looking over at the huntress from behind her comic.
"Don't turn against me, Ruby." Cinder now glared at her sister.
"I'm not!" She whined, throwing the comic away.
"Sounds like someone who would be happy to betray," Said Yang, pushing Ruby with her elbow.
"Stay out of this Yang!" Cinder said.
"Oh my gods," Said Blake, clearly annoyed.
"I take it you are an only child Blake?" Weiss said, looking at Blake with a mix of pity and amusement.
"Yes. And now I'm glad to be," Blake replied as the verbal free for all between the three sisters went on on the background.
"I don't know. Even if they are far away, at least you're not alone." Weiss said, scooting over to Blake. Mostly to escape the shouting match.
"I don't…" Blake was about to say something before stopping herself. Looking over her team and professor, she felt… strangely at home. Even if she didn't like the antics. "You're right, it is kind of nice." she said finally.
"Told you," Said Weiss with a smile. "We're here for you Blake, even if… my background is not the best."
At this, Blake smiled. "Good thing that where we come from doesn't define us," She said.
"You're right. Well, it's dark. Want to take first watch?" Weiss asked.
"Thought you'd never ask," Blake stood up, going to the edge of the ticket. Feeling a little lonely, Weiss again plopped herself near the fire, trying her best to turn a blind ear to the discussion between the sisters.
Qrow growled, groggy. For a second, he imagined himself being drunk out of his mind and collapsing in some apartment, along a chick he picked up. He would need to either dress up and transform to escape, or simply escape and re dress in Tai's house, or Ozpin's office, or Leonardo's office; whichever was closer. In the best of cases, he could ask his 'date' for another time. Things rarely worked out, something he blamed his semblance for.
Seeing a hard light dust wall, he assumed he had been shit faced to the extent of arrest, but the smell of a police station was not present. It was more like an old, abandoned construction site reeking of cement, steel and dust.
He incorporated himself and looked around the dark cell. No, this was no prison.
So worst case scenario, a sex dungeon.
No, second worst case scenario, he had been captured. Images flashed to his mind as pain shot up from his side.
"Right, Raven…" he mumbled, clutching his left side above the hip. His own sister had backstabbed him. How could she drop that low? Hadn't she tortured Tai and Yang enough?
"That's me," replied a voice, echoing trough the halls. Qrow sat on the coarse floor, unable to get up for the time being.
"Oh, you're here. Lucky me."
"Your semblance must be failing," She approached the cell, eyes shining red in the dark.
He chuckled. At least not all of Raven was dead. Still, "Why?"
"I already told you," He shook his head.
"No, you spat out ambiguous bullshit. I want the truth," Raven turned around, a dark laughter coming from her. Things were getting from bad to worse. And that made Qrow's chest tighten, something that rarely happened outside the days between Summer's departure and funeral.
"I'll give you something better. Join me. We are siblings after all," She approached again, offering a hand behind the barrier. He scoffed at this.
"What sibling stabs the other in the back?" he asked.
"You'd be surprised at how much it has happened in history," Raven said in a mocking tone.
"Right. Still not joining you," She rolled her eyes.
"So you still believe in Ozpin?" She was back to frowning, that disdainful look she almost always wore.
"That won't change Rav," he told her, standing up despite the pain.
"He's a fool. Worse, he believes in a lost cause. Nothing he can offer can ever hope to defeat her, no plan can survive her. Our only hope is to join her, use her power against her," Qrow's eyes widened.
"It's not worth it," he told her. He was losing her, or maybe he already had. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Even if she was a cowards, she was his sister.
"When everything is over, we'll judge that. But for the time being, you'll remain here." As she turned and began to walk away, Qrow ran to the barrier.
"What are you doing here!" He asked. For a second Raven stopped, looking to him over her shoulder.
"We're waking Ozpin up. The people of Vale will see how powerless he truly is." She disappeared behind a dark corner. Qrow slammed his fist against the cell. There was no going behind the barrier, and he didn't even know where he was. No scroll and no weapon.
He sat, trying to think of something. His nieces were out there. Did Raven know about them? What would she do?
How could he let this happen? How did he let her get so far away from him?
However, he did think about something. That barrier was modern, the building was not. They couldn't have been here long. That meant, the barrier was installed. The projector had to be somewhere. He just had to find it.
In the dark cell, Qrow could only lament his lack of booze.
Fire. Embers. Warm. Heat. All those words called to her. Heat was something that was always at her side. Always available to her, thanks to her semblance. Yet, it could also be something that hurt, that burned, that left stinging scars if not handled well. If Cinder herself was heat, then, it only made sense that anyone close to her would burn and reel back.
Thoughts like those always invaded her mind when in front of a fire. She'd never been able to make one in the Glass Unicorn, unless she wanted to be shocked. And it was not easy to hide it either. So she spent most nights cold and shivering despite having the ability to heat herself at any time.
All she could do was burn anyone who got close. But that was fine, since fear was as effective as love in many cases.
Cinder drew her eyes away from the fire, the stinging sensation settling in.
Team RWBY and herself had rotated once through the night. Dinner was done already, that only left going into tents and sleeping until morning. Blake was once again absent due to it being her watch. That left the remaining members of the team to sit around the fire, heating a dessert Ruby had brought along despite multiple warnings to only bring nutrition.
Marshmallows.
"So… anyone got any good stories?" Cinder looked at Ruby from the other side of the fire pit. The girl had her back towards the tent she and her team would share. Weiss sat close. Yang opted to sit on an empty side to stretch herself out. Cinder simply sat opposite of Ruby, knees to her chest.
"What kind of stories? I could recite the epic of–"
"–That's boring! We need a tale of heroes! Of huntsmen fighting for what they believe in!" Cinder wanted to scoff at her sister. It was fine to dream when outside the job. But doing it in the middle of a mission was showing how naive she was.
"What are you, eight? Want me to pull out the old fairy tale book?" Yang asked, snickering. Ruby pouted, as if regressing to the mentioned age.
"No! Just… Cinder, help me out here! You must have stories!" Ruby said.
"I don't. Why do you want stories anyways?" She asked, tone sounding harsher than she intended.
"They inspire, they lift spirits, they're fun, they're–"
"–Bullshit. You know that right?" Cinder said, stopping Ruby's listing. The girl was left somewhat hurt, but she was not going to back down now. It was not something Cinder did. "They tell you big stories about heroes to make you want to risk your life. But those heroes don't exist, you just need to meet a 'proper' huntsman to recognize that. It's only a job, nothing more. We do what we do because we have to. Because of what it gives us,"
The three girls were looking at her now, expressions a mix of bewilderment, sadness and anger. Even Weiss, who mostly remained away from the conversation due to maintaining Myrtenaster had looked at her.
"That sounds selfish," Ruby replied after a few agonizing moments.
"So?"
"I don't want to be like that. That's not what mom told me what being a huntress is about," Cinder tensed at the mention of Summer, but said nothing. Yang was also quick to turn her head. "Huntsmen are selfless heroes who fight to protect the weak, without asking for anything in return because someone had to, someone had to step up to fight the Grimm. Mom was all that, always. And I want to be like her, because I believe in her words,"
For some reason, Ruby's words hit hard. Perhaps due to the fact that any kind of childishness was gone, replaced by an iron gaze. Perhaps because of her unwavering voice. Or maybe it was the fact that Ruby held her hand atop her heart. Cinder found it hard to talk against her, despite knowing her idealistic views were dangerous and prone to disillusionment. A part of Cinder wanted to chastise her and remove that part of from Ruby, but another loved it dearly.
"That's… all well and good, Ruby," All three sisters looked at Weiss, who was still deep into maintaining her weapon with a fine screwdriver and a magnifying monocle. "But Cinder's right. A job is a job, and not everyone wants to do it because of selflessness, and that's not wrong. They're still doing it, but maybe they want something else from it." Ruby sat back down, all energy seemingly pulled away.
"So why do you want to be a huntress, Weiss?" Ruby asked her. Weiss looked up, locking eyes with her leader.
Weiss took a deep breath, as if admitting something forbidden. "Look, I'm not stupid. Ever since my father took over my family, the company has been operating in a… morally gray area," A 'that's one way to put it' was heard from Yang. Weiss simply glared and continued. "But I'm proud of my name, I'm proud of being Weiss Schnee, and I'm not going to let my father drag my name into the ground. But he's powerful and, simply working in Atlas is not enough. I need to be strong, strong enough to make a change that matters, and being a huntress will help with that. I'll help people, inside and outside Atlas,"
Ruby and Yang smiled at her, while Cinder was impressed at how noble Weiss sounded. She was different from every other Atlesian she had ever met. It was hard to believe she was Winter's sister. She… wanted to see how far Weiss could go.
Her thoughts where put on hold when Yang sighed. She got up, hands on her hips as she paced around the fire.
"At least you guys have a goal. I'm just…" Cinder knew where this was going. "… there. I wanted to be a huntress for the adventure, for the thrill of not knowing what tomorrow would bring. Saving people, protecting the weak, that was just a bonus," Yang looked at the fire, hugging herself.
"Is that wrong?" Yang looked at Cinder for a moment, and they locked eyes.
"You should do what you want to do, Yang. The reasons don't matter, if you save people, who cares why?" That was her answer. Yang looked at her for a long while. Not the first time they had this conversation, but a long time since the last one. Cinder could smell her marshmallow burning up, yet she remained staring at Yang without moving.
"Maybe," Yang plopped down into the grass, arms flailing a little. She hung her head low. "So… why did you become a huntress, sis?"
Cinder imagined that question would come full circle. She had nothing to hide about her motivations, so she didn't.
"Huntsmen are free. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want. If they help someone, it's their choice, and they can be proud they made it even if it was obvious to make, because they could always chose. I never really cared about helping people, or recognition. All I wanted was freedom, and the strength to chose my own destiny. And that's exactly what I did," when she finished talking, she could see all sights on her.
However, Yang's was the most piercing. It was as if her sister wanted to extract something from her using her eyes.
"So, all you wanted was to choose," Yang's voice lost any happy tone. It was cold, and Yang was never cold. She turned her eyes towards the fire, poking it with her stick. Cinder remembered her marshmallow, but by now it was a black, charred mass. Yang turned her lilac eyes to her. "Is that why you left? We weren't letting you choose?"
Cinder's chest constricted in a way it had not been in years. Yang had punched through her walls and attacked her core. Typical of her.
Cinder opened her mouth to answer but, she closed it again after a second. What could she say that would not hurt her? That would not push her away? There was no way out, there were three sets of eyes on her.
She once again tried to speak, but no words came out. Yang turned back to the fire. "I guess that answers it,"
"It's not like that!" She blurted out.
"Oh, really?" Yang threw her stick into the fire, voice rising and laced with pain and anger.
"Yang," Cinder growled, getting up. "This is not the time nor the place,"
"Why not?" Yang turned to face her fully, arms open as if challenging her. Ruby and Weiss remained quiet, watching with widened eyes. "We're all coming clean with our motivations. I bet even Blake is listening,"
"I am!" They heard her shout from the thicket.
"See? It's the perfect place. So just… admit whatever it is that bothers you about us!" Yang said, pacing in front of her. Cinder narrowed her eyes.
"You wouldn't understand," At this, Yang threw her arms in the air.
"Really? I wouldn't understand?" Yang rubbed the ridge of her nose. Who did she think she was? "Look Cinder, I'm sorry your parents left you at an orphanage. It's horrible. But my mom left me, Blake's partner turned into a murderer, and Weiss' dad is a piece of shit," Yang turned to Weiss. "No offense."
"Oh, no, I'm with you," Added the heiress, then Yang turned back to her.
"So everyone here has suffered. You're not special in that,"
Cinder stared at Yang for a long moment, an incredulous look on her face. That's right, Yang didn't know. She didn't know, neither did Ruby. They didn't know her pain, her suffering, her years of abuse, her mounting guilt. They did not understand her, because they did not know her. Not really. It was funny. Way too funny. She almost laughed.
No. She did laugh. It was a chuckle. Then a holding of her sides, and then full on laughter that made her twist forwards.
"W-What's so funny?" Yang asked, taken aback. When Cinder finally took control of herself, she looked at her sister.
"It's just… hehe… it's just too amusing, how little you know," Why did she say it like that? Was she really enjoying Yang's cluelessness.
"What?"
"You really think your mom just adopted me in an orphanage out of nowhere?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from every pore. However, it was not Yang that spoke. Ruby did.
"That's what mom told us… Did she… lie? Did you?" Ruby looked fearful, eyes strained to the limit. It was a pitiful look for a huntress in training.
Of course Summer lied. Cinder's past was… not something that she wanted lingering in minds. She did not want pity. She was glad she respected her wish until the end.
"Yes. I lied." She replied simply. Yang's eyes widened, bags under her eyes as she took a step back and almost tripped.
"I… I can't believe this. I can't fucking believe this!" Yang held her head, looking at the ground. Ruby simply flinched at the outburst "You all… lied to us? Mom, Dad, Uncle Qrow? What else have you lied to us about?" Yang looked at her, and her gaze nearly tore Cinder's heart apart. There was so much… hurt in her. Cinder had done this. She had hurt Yang, the very thing she never wanted to do in her life.
"I…" What could she say to fix this? She needed an out. She wanted to talk it out with Yang, but they were in the middle of a mission. Cinder had let her emotions cloud her judgement, again. "Uncle Qrow is here," she said, without thinking much. Her sisters turned to her.
"What?" They asked in unison.
"He came on a mission, to scout the White Fang. Those missing Atlas Paladins? They are here. Ozpin wanted to deal with this, covertly." Was her answer.
"And where is he now? Is he here?" Ruby asked, dashing all over the place, turning over every log and rock, including Weiss'.
"I… don't know. He hasn't called when he was supposed to. But that's hardly surprising," Yang's reaction was instant.
"Then we have to go there and see if he's okay!" Cinder stood firm. This mission would not be derailed.
"That's not our job." Yang stood to her full height.
"I don't care. I'm not leaving anyone behind. That's not what a huntress does," Yang said. At this, Ruby also stood firm, silver eyes fixing Cinder with a gaze of steel.
"Yang's right. We can't turn a blind eye on this," Cinder was fine with having Yang against her, but Ruby? That was too much to handle.
"What's going on?" Blake asked, coming from the darkness.
"The Fang is here," was Weiss' reply.
"What?" Her eyes widened, then her gaze became hard as her hands balled into fists. "We have to stop them."
"Then we're all on the same wavelength." Yang replied, picking up her bag.
"Weiss?" Ruby asked, loading Crescent Rose.
"Finish what we started," with a swift move, Myrtenaster was loaded and ready, barrel clicking as it spun.
"Then as the leader of Team RWBY, I authorize an incursion into Mountain Glenn. Is that the right word?" Weiss smiled at Ruby's meekness.
"It is," with a nod, Ruby turned to her team. "Then let's go," Ruby departed towards the mountain, Blake and Weiss in tow. Cinder had been completely ignored. That was humiliating.
"So what's it gonna be sis? Gonna leave? Gonna stop us?" Yang asked with an uncaring tone as she raised an eyebrow. Cinder grit her teeth harder than ever before. She was not going to let them have the final word on this.
"As the huntress and professor in charge of this mission, I'll let this slide," Yang nodded, before running off behind Team RWBY.
Cinder stood at the camp, the entire weight on the situation on her shoulders. She'd screwed up and put her sisters in danger. Worse, she cracked open a rift between them. She gripped her head. Why was she so bad at this? How could simply caring about them be so difficult?
It hurt. The thought of being abandoned and shunned by Yang and Ruby hurt. It hurt more than the Madame's abuse. She was tired of it. She hated it. No matter where she went, she couldn't escape it. But maybe… escaping was not the solution.
Running is all you'll ever do.
No. I swore that night, that I wouldn't have to run anymore.
She grabbed Midnight and her quiver of special arrows. No Grimm where in the area, the camp was relatively safe.
She looked up towards mountain, the dilapidated city shadowed by the moon. It reminded her of something. How that night, Rhodes had left her, walking out that door, his entire body destroyed by witnessing her actions. She had driven him away, and she did the same with Yang and Ruby.
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
No. Now was not the time for that.
Now, she had an uncle to help, and sisters to protect.
She followed Team RWBY into the belly of Mountain Glenn.
Extra Scene: Meeting
Cinder ran. Ran far. Between streets. Under bridges and alleys. Dodged cars. She was a mess, her outfit was a mess, and a kid brandishing a sword attracted a lot of attention. She needed to hide, to get her bearings, but her mind simply spun. She crashed into people constantly, unaware of them due to her memories flashing again and again to the same scene.
Blood red walls.
"Cinder… we're sorry… we promise to-"
Slash. A stroke of crimson. That had been…
She hid in al alleyway once she noticed a cop car.
Her face was in every holographic billboard. She was a wanted criminal.
Rhodes, he bought her time. Or… more specifically…
"You have ten minutes until I call the authorities. Run Cinder. That's all you can ever do now."
So she did.
She leaned on her knees. The air was cold, but her sweat was hot, her clothes sticky. Her hand was blistered due to clutching the heavy sword too tight.
Everything smelled horrible. Her chest was always empty of air.
She needed to think. Where to go? What vehicle would be useful? What would she eat?
She was… not ready. Everything she did, she did from the watchful eye of the madame, in a luxury hotel. She didn't know much about the world outside what Rhodes told her. However, there was one thing she was good at.
She spotted a lone man, in a fluffy coat. He passed a street, into the alleyway to take out his keys and enter a store.
She gripped the sword, and began walking. The man was unbothered as she stalked him. When she was at slashing distance, she pressed the sword into his back lightly, making him tense.
"W-What is–"
"I want y-your c-c-coat," she sounded too meek. She needed to be more assertive, like the Madame. "And your wallet, and your boots. Else, I'll stab you." She pressed harder, enough to cause him pain.
"O-Okay! F-F-fine I-" Cinder head a loud 'thud' behind her. She turned around, two handing her weapon. The man had ran away.
A cloaked figure. White as snow, with a black undercoat. She wielded a white and silver halberd, that seemed as thick as a rifle.
She rose like a ghost, silver eyes paralyzing her.
"Do you know what you just did?" She asked her. She spoke with the same tone as the Madame. She was going to punish her. No, not again.
She screamed and rushed her. The woman easily avoided every strike she attempted, every stab, every charge. Not like Cinder was trying. She was too tired.
Yet, the woman never attacked her. She only observed her, like death waiting for her next soul. She was… too strong. There was no hope.
Cinder fell onto her knees, exhausted beyond belief. She wanted to cry, to scream.
"Hey," gone was the punishing voice. It had disappeared, replaced by a sweet one. "What's your name?"
"Why do you care?" She asked.
"I'm Summer. I'm a huntress," The woman kneeled in front of her, smiling under her white coat. Cinder continued to glare.
"You're going to take me back, aren't you?" The woman's eyes widened.
"So you're that kid…"
"Yes. What will be my punishment?" She had given up. She waited for her fate.
"What makes you think I'll hurt you?" Cinder looked up. What made her think that? Did she know nothing?
"Everything. Huntsmen… don't care. Nobody does." A hand reached to touch her. She reacted, using her sword to try and slash. "Get away from me."
The woman retreated, face impassive. "Alright," She stowed away her halberd, and her hands reach under her hood. She pulled back.
A pale, somewhat lean complexion, no wrinkles or anything, all adorned by black hair that was red at the tips. "Let's start again. I'm not Summer, the huntress. I'm Summer, the woman. Who are you?" She kneeled again, smiling and pitying her. Cinder was taken aback.
"C-Cinder…" She felt at ease, looking at her.
"A beautiful name. Say…" The woman looked away, deep in thought. "...Want to come with me?"
Cinder's questions only increased from then on. But… she didn't have the strength to decline her offer. And she never regretted it either.
A/N: Well, I hope ya'll enjoyed it. Maybe I made it a little too dramatic, but I like the conflict. Now begins the Mt. Glenn arc. It should be about three to five chapters long. Stay tuned for more in the future. Chiao!