Ch10 A Light in The Dark
Song recommendation: Ed Sheeran-I see fire
Barbara and Theodore had been walking for several minutes without a word uttered between them. The only sound to break the silence was chirping birds and cracked twigs underneath the footfalls of Grimm. As they both delved deeper into the wood, Grimm became less aggressive, and didn't appear to even be around them. It left Theo wondering, and a bit concerned. What if Fenrir had run into a group of them? What if the fight attracted more? His thoughts were distracted by the sandy haired girl he walked beside.
"So, what do you call your weapons?"
"Huh?" He expressed, zoning back in.
"Your weapons. The things on your arms."
"Um, haven't given it much thought. I only finished them a few days ago."
"Well, can't have an unnamed weapon. A Huntsman's arms are like a ship to her sailor. Gotta give the gals a name." She explained smiling.
"I don't know. How about Rough Riders?" Theo looked down at his arms and debated whether that was a good name or not.
"Sounds like a rough draft, if you ask me."
"Kind of is. What do you call yours?" Theo said pointing to the Desert Eagles at her sides.
"Nothing much better. I like to call them Bangarangs." She held them up, with a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Real creative name there, Skrillex." Their conversation was interrupted by two figures coming from their right.
"All I'm saying is, your alliteration makes me ill, you keep running off in your sentences, pretty sure you're leaving out a lot of detail and, frankly, I never gave a damn in the first place."
"Well, I've never!"
"Never heard someone criticize you before, or never heard someone say they don't care?"
"Fenrir!" Theodore waved at him as they came into view.
"Great, gangs all here. Now we can die together." Fen had said dryly before they caught up.
The four of them began walking together, another awkward silence traveled with them until Barbara decided to break it. She saddled up to the blond boy and introduced herself.
"Barbara Boomer. Viscous vixen from Vacuo. Glad to make your acquaintance." She held out her hand.
"Pleasure to greet you, Barbara. My name is." Fenrir decided to introduce the boy himself.
"Richard Lionheart. Prince of some backwater kingdom and king of long-winded rants."
"Ignore Fenrir. He's an asshole most of the time. Names Theodore Arkades. How ya doing?"
"Nice to meet you friend. Wish I could say we were all doing better, but I've not a clue as to where this temple is."
"Yeah. This place is so big, I wonder how the other students found it. And have any of you noticed the Grimm just stopped attacking? Like, they were on our ass when we landed and now it seems like they're not even around."
"Maybe they saw how badass we are and ran." Barbara crossed her arms behind her head.
"No. These Grimm are too young to avoid a fight. Small too. An older Grimm would want to avoid a fight it can't win, but this behavior from such low-level grunts is weird." Theo scratched his chin in thought.
"Could be some other Huntsman or students are in the forest somewhere. Either way, its an advantage. Less Grimm we gotta deal with, the easier this stupid test will be." Fenrir knew why the Grimm had slowed their assault. He was the one pulling the strings. After he met up with Richard, he had been focusing on keeping the Grimm back. Multi-tasking his mind, he signaled them to avoid the Men things that invaded their home.
"I say we head northeast." They all followed in that direction for a while, discussing Various topics along the way.
"So, your weapons are called Bangarangs. You call yours Rough Riders. What do you call yours Fenrir?"
"Fang, Claw. Something like that, who cares?" Richard beamed as he pulled the sword from his back and held it out for his team to see.
"Well, this my dear compatriots, is Tristan." With a twirling flourish, he switched it to the axe.
"And this is Isolde."
"Woah, that's sick! Mind if I have a look at it?" Theodore's eyes flashed with want upon seeing the combo weapon.
"Afraid I do, Theodore. This sword has been in my family for generations. I can't have just anyone touch it." Theo's shoulders slumped, disappointed he couldn't take a gander at the oversized blade.
"Weapons are cool and all, but what's your superpower?" Richard smiled at Barbara's question. His aura began to glow as it expanded from his body, forming a dome around him.
"Okay, now that's sick." Barbara's eyes widened at the glowing globe.
"What about you Theo? What can you do?"
"Let's just say I get a power boost when my aura is depleted." He looked down, unwilling to go on further.
"And you, what's your semblance? A smart mouth?" Barb nudged Fenrir in his elbow.
"That and I can bend the air around me." Barbara stood there shocked.
"You serious?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Nothing. It's just rare to meet someone with an elemental semblance. Exactly how much can you bend?"
"Bursts of speed, blowing away enemies, controlled flight. So long as there's air around me, I can make wind. What about you? Your semblance bad puns, or something?"
"Jump good." Barbara leaped in the air, 20 feet high, making a small crater when she landed.
"My legs are stupid strong. I've trained myself to bounce off surfaces when I'm in a fight. Keeps the enemy on their toes and bullets out of my backside."
"Did you see the temple at all?" Theo had asked her.
"No, but the sun is getting low. Hope we can find it soon."
"Perhaps we should make camp for the night." Richard suggested.
"I'm with Rich. All the worst Grimm come out at night. Better not to get caught in the dark." Barbara sighed at Fen's agreement.
"Shouldn't we keep moving? We could be close."
"Except we're not. We're lost. I'd rather not be here any longer as much as any of you but pushing through at night is a dirt nap waiting to happen." Theodore commented.
"Alright. Let's find a spot." Despite her misgiving about camping, Barb followed them to a narrow river that cut the grove in half. They had decided to set base on the other side.
"Okay. Gonna need fire and food. I'll look for berries, some game if I'm lucky. Who wants firewood?" Barbara looked at Fenrir quizzically.
"You're going alone? Shouldn't you have someone with you?"
"He'll be fine. Just don't go too far, 'kay Fen?"
"I'll be careful." He walked off, pointing a thumbs up in the air.
"What are you doing, big guy?"
"Salmon."
"Come again?"
Theodore squatted by the river, staring intensely at the water below. Barb and Richard walked over to see what he was talking about. Silvery fish swam against the streams current. Theodore plunged his knives in a splash, pulling a fish speared above his hand.
"Salmon." He hummed in a jovial tune. The two blonds had understood and stepped back as the bear began tossing fish onto the ground.
"Well, I am the one with the axe. I'll be back with tinder a plenty." Richard strolled to a nearby tree and started chopping. Large wooden splinters flew from the ravaged wood, as he sank his axe further and further in. Barbara walked in Fenrir's direction as the other boys were busy. The shadows were growing as the sun set, and she wasn't going to let one of her team get caught in the dark.
As everyone else toiled at their task, Fenrir was watching through the eyes of a Taijitsu hidden in the bushes. A deer ran by the two headed serpent as it lunged it's long, scaled body to coil around the faun's legs, tightening until it was no longer able to move. An arrow pieced its side as the Grimm untied itself from the slain game. Fenrir came sprinting towards it.
"Shoo." He waved the creature away with his bow as he pulled the arrow out.
"Fenrir?" He turned around to see Barbara at his right. The Taijitsu jumped from the bushes next to her, making her cry out in surprise. Fenrir shot an arrow at the snake's white head pinning it to a tree. The other head flailed about wildly, snapping at the girl before its head was blown to bits by a single pistol blast.
"Shit Barb, you okay?" Her eyes were wide, and breathing had slowed in deep breaths before she spoke.
"Yeah. Yeah, just grab your deer and let's get back." She stormed off towards the forming light that filled the growing darkness. Theodore and Richard had built a fire, the hearth creating a void around them. A pile of fish and chopped wood sat at there respective sides. Salmon speared on sticks rested at the fires edge, browned and crispy. Each boy was munching away at a fish as the other returned.
"Good, your back. Think we might have too much food at this point."
"No, we don't." Fenrir pulled a hand full of berries from his hoodie pocket and handed them to Barbara.
"Sorry about earlier." He sat began stripping the deer at the edge of the camp. Richard had cut the trunk of a tree into four logs that circled the campfire. Barbara sat at one log by Theodore and popped the berries in her mouth, wondering what the wolf had to be sorry for. Her questions were pushed away by one of Richards own.
"Tell me Theodore, why are you here?"
"What?" He asked mid bite.
"Why have you come to Beacon? What is it about being a Huntsman that made you come to this school?" Theodore stared into the fire for a few seconds before responding.
"Nothing really. I don't have a home anymore and I've had a bit of training in the past, so I'm making my gamble here. Whatever happens happens. What about you?"
"My family sees me as a small and helpless child. Surprise when in four years, a warrior will run wild across his homeland. Barbara, why are you here?"
"The Vytal festival. In Vacuo, you must be strong to survive, but that saying applies anywhere on Remnant. Why not prove my strength here and show the world what I can do?"
"And you, Fenrir. Why be a Huntsman?" Fenrir left no hesitation in his answer.
"I'm here to hunt. My whole life, I've dealt with the Grimm. I've had to run and hide then fight to make it to tomorrow. Now, I want to learn how to hunt the most dangerous game." In truth, he was the prey, a sheep among wolves. But the masquerade must go on.
"It's getting late. Gonna need someone to keep watch. I'll take first." Fenrir set some bits of meat by the fire and sat down while everyone settled in.
"I'll take second. Let's get some rest for the night. Got a long day ahead." Theo stood and stretched his back before finding a comfy enough spot on the ground. As the night dragged on the lone watcher did his job. Few Grimm passed, but those that did he made sure to make a show of in cuts and stabs for Ozpin's game. In the meanwhile, he watched through others to find the location of the temple. The circular structure held five chess pieces on pedestals further north of the forest.
"Barb was right. We should've kept going." He had sat upon a tree branch when he found it. The moon was beginning to get low.
"Bit late to wake them up now, don't you think?" He looked down at his fellow watchman. Theodore had woken up for his shift.
"Morning sleeping beauty. How was dream land?" Fenrir pushed himself from the tree's limb.
"About as comfortable as a bed of grass and leaves can be. Least there was barbecue to wake up to."
Fenrir had kept the fire going as the night dragged on and cooked much of the deer into jerky and burnt bits. Their comrades snored and breathed softly around it.
"Figured we would all be hungry later." Theodore smiled at his friend.
"How do you feel about them?"
"barb's ok, if a bit nosey. This is the quietest Richie's been all day. Think it'll be ok."
"Look at you, optimistic for once. That'll change when we get our dorms. All holed up in one room for years, going to school."
"We only get the one room?"
"In a building of other rooms with other students in them."
"Fuck that. We'll build a cabin out here."
"Good luck convincing the rest of us. Go get some sleep before you start logging." Theo pat Fen's shoulder as he looked out over the moon. Though the morning was hectic, the day was peaceful, as so would it be as the night pushed to dawn. The lights first soft touches felt along the trees in misty dew. Theodore looked at the brightening skyline with a smile to match it. A mandala of dark blues and vibrant reds and oranges were set against the yellow sun. He frowned as he looked at the black shape that glided across the striking scene. As the shadow flew closer, a light of its own appeared in its silhouette and Theodore's eyes widened in realizing they may not live to see the sun set.
Author's note: That one took a while to figure out. Fenrir's rant at Rich was more me at myself really. Hope you guys are enjoying. Gonna take a break to play a game and iron out this next chapter.
