We're getting close to the end of volume 4! I hope you guys like this chapter! Enjoy!

The walk to Kuroyuri was silent, but not in the comfortable way. It was silent in that everyone was on edge, nervous, plaguing the atmosphere with negativity. The only sounds that could be heard were the footsteps of those walking along with the coughing and mutterings of the ill individual being carried.

The stifling air had Carly constantly moving her gaze back and forth along the landscape, watching for any movement. Her whole body was so tense, she had to remind herself to breathe properly. The last thing anyone here needed was her hyperventilating because she couldn't keep herself calm.

But it was hard to keep herself level headed as she occasionally saw the hoof print of the Grimm that had haunted her and Sam's thoughts for the past few weeks. Just the thought of it made Carly feel like ice was flowing through her veins and her heart pound.

One foot in front of the other…Carly replayed in her mind as a mantra. If she thought too long about what lay ahead…

Carly forced herself to shove that thought aside. It wasn't that Carly didn't think the Grimm wouldn't be defeated, the younger huntsman and huntresses in training had been proven that they can, via the episode, "No Safe Haven." It was more that Carly was worried about Sam and herself. Their aura's weren't as strong as the others and they lacked the experience of the others. And those facts made Carly worry…Made her terrified…

That they were going to die…

Carly scrunched her eyes closed and used all her energy to regain control of herself. She couldn't let her thoughts and emotions spiral. Not now. There was still a possibility that both Sam and her could pull through this.

She remembered what Sam said last night. 'I believe in us. We wouldn't have been brought here if whoever sent us didn't think we couldn't handle it. We can do this. We need to be careful, and it's going to be tough, but we can do this.'

A smile tugged at Carly's lips at the memory, as well as everything Sam had said beforehand. She glanced at her friend, who was surveying the area with sharp eyes and her bow and arrow drawn, ready to fire. Sam looked a lot more calm than Carly did, and Carly was grateful to have her beside her.

Finding her courage, Carly felt her breath calm a fraction. She tightened her grip on the stretcher she carried and kept her gaze forward.

'We can do this…' Carly told herself.

Carly didn't know how much time passed, maybe only a few minutes, maybe a few hours? She had been so focused on the path in front of her that she wasn't keeping track of the time.

Either way, they had reached Kuroyuri.

The first thing Carly noticed was the broken down opening gate. While it remained standing, there were plenty of parts that were broken, with stone remains scattered about it. The red flags were nearly shredded and barely fluttered from the light gust that passed quickly by.

It was even worse when the town came more into view. Decrepit buildings covered her vision, all gray and burned from the attack that occurred years ago. Trees that were still standing were as black as a night sky, and the whole area just had a haunted feel to it.

Upon seeing the destructive remains, everyone paused, just taking in the vision before them. For a few moments no one said anything, though the silence only made things feel worse.

"Oh man…this is…I…" Jaune stuttered behind her, but before he could say another word, Carly forced herself to turn her head and say, "Come on. The sooner we check the area, the sooner we can maybe find something to help Qrow and get out of here," she paused before saying, "No offense, but I don't want to be here longer than we need to be."

"Right," Jaune muttered, and with that, everyone marched on.

For a moment everyone was quiet as they trudged on through the remains of the city of Kuroyuri, before Carly spoke, keeping her voice as steady as possible, "We should find a place to set down Qrow while we search the area for any possible medical supplies," she turned to Sam, "Ruby and I will stay with Qrow so he's not left alone and has some protection, while you and Jaune take a look around. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan," Sam nodded.

"Do you really think we should split up again?" Jaune asked, "With how bad things look here and us already separated from Ren and Nora, don't you think we should stay together?"

Carly turned her head so Jaune could hear her better, "I'm not fond of the idea of splitting up any more than you are. But we won't far from each other, and you and Sam will cover more ground without us having to carry Qrow everywhere."

Jaune sighed and said, "You're right, I'm just…" he paused, obviously worried about his other teammates.

Carly stopped moving for a moment to turn herself enough that Jaune could see her face, stating, "I know you're worried. But we'll be within earshot of one another in case anything happens. We'll be okay."

She hoped the encouraging smile she gave the blonde was convincing enough. She was struggling to keep her own spirits up, but she couldn't let the younger members see that. Right now, the two needed her to be confident.

Jaune nodded and they went back to walking. As they did, the small group kept their eyes peeled for anything that could resemble a pharmacy or anything medical related.

"It's hard to tell if one of these buildings has the things we need for Qrow," Jaune stated after they passed a few blocks.

"We'll just have to hope that haven't seen it yet," Sam offered.

Ruby's gaze seemed both far off and yet focused on the setting around her. And after a second, she turned her gaze to Jaune to ask, "Do you think the reason Ren didn't want to come here was because…" She let the sentence trail off, though her silence left an implication of what she was going to say.

Jaune was quiet before he said, "Yeah…probably…" answering Ruby's question.

Carly, too, knew all too well the reason Ren tried to avoid this place. She couldn't blame him.

They eventually reached the town square, signified by the large black tree in a spacious part of the village. Here, the team put down Qrow and moved him against the tree. Carly pulled out her canteen and gave the older huntsman some water. He was able to take it down, but he appeared worse than this morning. As Carly pulled her canteen away, she unintentionally brushed some hair out of his eyes, wiping a bit of the sweat forming on his forehead off.

She pulled her arm back quickly and put away her canteen, blushing. Now was not the time for romantic actions. She turned to Jaune and Sam, saying, "Go. Ruby and I will keep Qrow safe until you get back."

Sam and Jaune nodded, Sam's more confident than her blonde haired companion, who paused as they began to walk away. Sam put a hand to his shoulder and urged him on with a soft, "Come on. They'll be fine."

Giving the blonde a soft smile of her own, the young huntsman in training turned and followed Sam into the village remains.

Carly kept her gaze on the two until they rounded a building before she stood and pulled out her hobby horse hammer, readying it in case of anything. Behind her, Ruby remained crouched by Qrow.

For a long time, neither females said anything to each other, Carly was too busy keeping an out for any signs of danger, and Ruby was gazing at Qrow anxiously. Carly couldn't stop herself from constantly moving, she was nervous that if she let her guard down for a second, they would be attacked.

Remembering to breathe, Carly rationalized with herself.

Sam and Jaune were not too far away in case they needed help. Ruby and Jaune were experienced fighters. All of their aura's were charged, minus Qrow's. Sam and Carly had gotten stronger in the last few weeks, getting a better idea on how to fight and use their abilities. If they were going by the episodes still, Ren and Nora would reach them before anything happened, so they would be in a somewhat better situation than just the four of them. If there was anything threatening nearby, they would have at least heard something by now—

"This is all my fault."

Carly turned around at Ruby's statement, surprised.

"What?"

Ruby lifted her gaze up and Carly could see her eye shimmering with unshed tears. When she spoke, her voice was breaking, "None of this would have happened if I didn't decide to go on this journey! You and the others didn't know about Tyrian and—and Salem, or all this! We wouldn't have to go through this horrible town or get involved in something you didn't want to! And Qrow wouldn't be—"

"Ruby, Ruby honey, stop," Carly urged, rushing over to the girl and putting a hand on her shoulder. The dark haired girl sniffed, wiping her eyes as some tears fell out. Carly pulled out a handkerchief she had stored in her side pocket and gave it to Ruby, saying, "Listen to me. None of this is your fault, okay? You didn't know about all this either!"

Ruby brushed the handkerchief over her eyes roughly before looking into Carly's brown eyes, arguing, "But—"

"No. No but's," Carly said fiercely, holding the girls silver gaze, "Ruby, you didn't drag anyone into this. You're friends are here with you because they care about you, it was their choice. No one was forced to walk with you on this path. Same thing with Qrow, he followed you because he loves you and wanted to make sure you would be safe," Carly paused to lean forward a bit, "Wouldn't you do the same for the people you care about?"

Ruby nodded, sniffing some more.

Carly smiled softly and said, "And if the roles were reversed, would you blame them?"

Ruby shook her head quickly, saying, "No!"

"So there you go. Ruby, no one knows how things are going to turn out. If life's taught me anything, it's that nothing ever goes exactly according to plan. And you can't blame yourself for every bad thing that happens. Sometimes bad things happen for no reason, or for reasons we can't even begin to understand," Carly paused again, "And if you're that worried that Jaune or the others feel that way, just talk to them about it. You all are really close, so there shouldn't be any concern in addressing your concerns on the matter. And I can tell you with confidence, that Sam and I do not blame you for anything. We're here because we want to help, and you're stuck with us, kiddo," Carly concluded.

Ruby smiled as she finished, appearing a little less stressed than before, saying, "Thank you. It's just…"

Carly squeezed Ruby's shoulder and said softly, "You've had a lot put on your shoulders in the last couple of days, anyone in your situation would be just as stressed about it. But that's why you have a team and friends and family, to help you through it. And we are here for you, so don't go thinking everything bad that happens is because of you."

Ruby sniffed again before wiping her eyes once more and saying, "Yeah."

Carly gave the younger girl a confident smile before saying with humor, "But if you wanna blame someone, blame Tyrian. That guy is nuts."

This got Ruby to laugh a little, breaking the somber atmosphere, saying, "Yeah, he's crazy. What did you say yesterday about him going back to an asylum?"

Carly chuckled and said, "Oh geez, I don't think even the doctors there would be able to figure out what's wrong with him. He's just insane."

Both females chuckled for a moment at the comment, before Ruby said, "Thanks for sticking with us, both you and Sam."

Carly stood, giving the young girl a smile, "No problem kiddo."

Sam's POV

Sam and Jaune continued their silent hike through the village, her eyes swinging every which way for her target. Ha ha, archery humor. He wasn't used to the older girl being without a comment or quip but right now she seemed to have an unusual level of focus as she glanced through windows. Though admittedly the two hadn't spent that much time together with all the craziness.

"Bingo," she said suddenly, feet turning automatically towards a building that made Jaune almost trip over his feet to follow. She stared through the window and he followed- it appeared to be a rudimentary pharmacy of some sort that had been left mostly standing. She ran for the door only to inevitably find it locked. "Whelp, nice to know luck still isn't on our side." Though not surprising considered how intact everything was.

"Should we break it down?" Jaune asked as she started peering through windows again- one after the other. "I'm sure they'd understand these are pretty dire circumstances wherever they are… if they're still around that is."

Sam looked through a window and a large smile formed. "True. But not necessary." She stuck her hand up and made a pulling motion. "Yoink!" There was a jangle and Jaune saw a pair of keys had appeared in her hand. She didn't get to use her Semblance too often- it wasn't as useful in combat as Carly's was for example- to the point she often forgot she had a fun superpower on hand at all times. But now things were definitely getting serious and that meant she had to make sure everything in her bag of tricks was top of mind.

She unlocked the door and the two of them strode in to the abandoned… whatever it was called in the world. Apothecary? Pharmacy? The show hadn't been very big on showing how the medical field operated outside the paramedics taking Mercury out of the arena… and that had been fake. Sam had been training for years and had a lot of knowledge, but no idea how it applied in a world full of Aura's and magic. She grabbed Jaune's backpack from off his back and started down the first aisle.

There was a lot to keep in mind because she wasn't just thinking about Qrow right now. She was thinking about the fight at Haven Academy and how Weiss would get stabbed through the stomach. She was thinking about how they'd all end up trapped in a village from their nightmares after wandering for days through the snow. She was thinking about all the situations they would face and trying to find something to have on hand for all of them. She wasn't about to be caught unprepared.

"What are we looking for?" She snapped out of her thoughts to see Jaune just watching her. "Something to help Qrow?"

She smiled kindly at him. "I don't think we're going to find much in that respect honestly. Places like this don't usually carry anti-venom when I imagine scorpions aren't local to the area. Our best bet for that is still getting him to Haven." She noticed a bottle with a different name but recognizable ingredients- morphine. "Honestly, right now I'm trying to make the journey for him as pain free as possible and that's the best we can do." She grabbed the bottle and shoved in the bag, using her Semblance perhaps unnecessarily so she didn't have to reach all the way back for the other. "Yoink."

Jaune watched a little helplessly as she started throwing what she recognized as anti-nausea tablets into the bag. He picked up a random bottle and squinted at it. "I don't know how you're able to tell what this stuff is. I can't even pronounce this one… hydro-hydorochlor- "

"Hydrochlorothiazide. That one we should be good without- unless someone in our group has high blood pressure." Jaune put the bottle back and she turned to face him, crossing her arms and leaning against the shelf. "It comes with studying honestly. In…on the island where I'm from I studied medicine and am now what called a Physician Assistant. It's a midlevel practitioner job." She noticed he was just staring at her blankly and she couldn't help but snort. "Sorry. It's like being between a nurse and a doctor. I can see my own patients and write prescriptions but I also technically work under- you know what, none of that matters." She didn't need to get into medical politics right now. "The point is I always wanted to help people and I studied my butt off for years so I'd be able to do that."

"That's really cool." Jaune was looking at her in a little bit of awe that almost made her blush. "I feel the same way… about helping people. But I've never quite known the way to do it. It always felt like I wasn't very good at anything. But it didn't stop me from wanting to be. It's why… "

"Why you cheated to get into Beacon?" Sam answered. She realized her mistake the instant the wide eyes swung to her. She sputtered, trying to think of something. "Sorry. I shouldn't have… it's just… I know- "

CRASH! The shelf she was leaning against suddenly buckled and she found herself sprawled on the floor before she could finish her thought. Bottles shattered around her and she found herself cursing as she tried to get up without cutting herself. Hopefully she didn't need any of those. A hand entered her frame of vision and she looked up to see Jaune had extended it.

"Thanks," she accepted his help to get herself on her feet again. She glanced in the backpack and let out a sigh of relief to see everything was still intact. Her blunder hadn't cost her that much. She put a grateful hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Thanks buddy. I really appreciate it."

He shrugged. "No problem. I am going to have to have a talk with Ren and Nora about keeping things between us when they get back though." The two of them finished working their ways up and down the aisles silently- Sam topping the backpack off with all the gauze and bandages that were available. She stared at the younger boy watching her intently for a second and something suddenly clicked for her.

Jaune was soon going to unlock his Semblance. He was going to be a Healy Boy. They were going to be pretty similar and though she was positive based on what had just happened that she couldn't say anything of the sort to give him a head's up on their similar destiny maybe she could teach him a thing or two in the meantime.

"Hey, when we get back, I'll teach you how to start an IV. It's the fastest way we can get Qrow this medicine. I'll even show you the proper dose just in case I'm not around the next time we need to give it."

He looked nervous which had not been what she intended at all. "Are you sure? I mean, I probably- "

"Everyone has to start somewhere, Jaune. I did when I started learning. And I made a lot of mistakes- too many to count really. But you don't give up. We don't learn unless we try, right?"

He nodded, smile matching her own. "Right." The two started out the door they had come through when he came to a stop. "Have… have you ever been unable to save someone before?"

Pyrrha's image flashed through Sam's mind as she stared at his sad face. She took a deep breath, fighting back some tears at the flood of her own memories that came through. "Of course," she informed him lowly. "Of course I have. Do… do you want to talk about it?"

He took a second before shaking his head. "No. Right now we need to get back to the others."

She couldn't help herself as she reached out a ruffled the hair on the top of his head in a gesture that reminded him very much of his older sisters. "Alright. But I'm here whenever you're ready to talk. I've got your back no matter what." Team Healy Boys all the way she told herself mentally.

"Me too," he agreed as she locked the door and hid the keys in a nearby bush. He took the backpack from her and slung it over his shoulders. "Now how do you start an… what was it?"

"IV," Sam answered. "You're going to insert a needle into his skin where we find a vein. I'll do his and then let you practice on me when we get a moment."

"Are you sure?" There was that hesitancy again. Well, Sam had just made it her personal mission to boost his confidence no matter what it took. And as evidenced by her degree, Sam wasn't one for giving up in the slightest.

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't, Jaune."

With that, the two headed back through the abandoned streets with a very strong new bond between them. Sam hadn't been expecting to feel this way in regards to what had once been merely fictional characters. But it had snuck up on her and was not going anywhere as she watched Jaune nod with interest while she explained Morphine dosing to him. No, Sam was determined to hold on to this bond for the entirety of her journey here.

Team Healy Boys for life.

Carly POV

Carly twirled her hobby horse hammer, her body still filled with anxiousness, but it was a bit more calm after talking with Ruby. Helping the young girl calm down had helped Carly in its own way, and she used that to her advantage.

As she caught movement in her gaze, Carly was relieved to see that it was just Sam and Jaune. Sighing in relief, Carly rested her hammer over her shoulder and walked to meet the two halfway.

"Find anything?" Carly asked, hopeful. Maybe with Sam around, they might have found something other than nothing.

"A few things. Sadly, nothing that will cure Qrow, but we did find some things to help in case of any emergencies in the future. And some things to make the journey to Haven easier for Qrow until we get there," Sam explained.

Jaune pulled off his backpack and gave it to Sam. As they got closer to Qrow, Ruby walked over to Jaune. The blonde stopped and both Carly and Sam kept walking, giving the two a moment of privacy.

When they reached Qrow, both of them kneeled down. Sam sat the backpack down and began pulling out a variety of things. Carly's eyebrows shot up and she said, "Looks like you found the mother load."

"In a way, yes. But we still don't have anything for the venom infecting Qrow," Sam said, not looking up as she continued to go about preparing things for Qrow.

Not wanting to distract her friend from doing her job, Carly stood up and said, "Let me know if you need anything."

"Yep," Sam replied.

Carly continued to patrol the general vicinity of the group, never straying far from them. At one point they heard a disturbing, inhuman cry, but it was far enough away that Ruby said, "We should be fine. It's far off."

Despite that, Carly couldn't help but feel her anxiety rise. She didn't like being in this town, but she had to stay focused. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sam showing Jaune how to prepare an IV and other medical procedures. This brought Carly a smile, knowing that Jaune's semblance was one of healing, so it was nice to see him bonding with Sam.

More moments of silence passed, and the air only seemed to grow even thicker with uneasiness. No one seemed to be able to settle down, and everything felt charged in a negative way.

At one point, Carly saw the others ready their weapons too. They sensed something was up too. Things just didn't feel right.

After a few more moments of unnerving silence, Carly was about to suggest they ready Qrow to move and get out of here as fast as possible when all of a sudden…

She heard it.

An inhuman demonic scream filled the air, closer than the ones they heard before. It was horrible enough that everyone tensed up, tightening their grips on their weapons, heads swiveling left and right.

Carly felt her heart start to pound, and her breathing came faster, unable to control it. Beside her, Sam moved closer, her own eyes flickering around in nervous anxiety.

The next thing they heard was the sound of footsteps running. Everyone turned in the direction of the sound, somewhat surprised to see Ren and Nora rushing toward them.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Ruby asked, her voice terrified.

"Did you hear that noise? What was that?!" Jaune nearly yelled, his own voice raised in fear.

Nora and Ren didn't say anything until they reached the small group, panting. It was plain to see that they had run from wherever they had been at to them.

Ren spoke, his voice betraying his worry, "We need to go. Now!"

"But—" Ruby started but stopped when Jaune put a hand to her shoulder.

When Ruby looked at her companion in confusion, Jaune spoke in a worried whisper, "Do you hear that?"

Everyone looked around, listening intently to what Jaune might have heard, only to freeze as they heard heavy steps moving closer…

Closer…

To them…

Ren's eyes widened in terror as he sunk to his knees, whispering, "No…not again…"

"Ren?" Nora whispered, her voice shaking with terror.

Carly felt herself shaking in fear as she saw it. The creature that had haunted her dreams ever since she came to this world. She felt her throat close up despite something in her chest building up for her to scream and run. She brought her hammer up higher as Sam readied her arrow to fire, her own hands shaking. This was a moment of truth. It was here that Carly feared that if her and Sam weren't strong enough, their stories would end.

The monster that killed hundreds walked slowly towards them, breathing black air and the remains of arrows from previous battles shaking with wooden sounds on its back. The demonic head of the rider part of the creature lifted up and gazed at them, its sewn mouth stretching, readying to scream.

The Nuckelavee was here.

Authors Note: First off, special thanks to my friend who wrote Sam's POV part of this chapter! She's super amazing and talented at writing! I love it! This chapter wouldn't have been as good without her help! So thank you! Second, I had a hard time figuring out what kind of conversation Ruby and Carly should have since they were by themselves at one point. Eventually I figured something out and I hope it comes across well. Thirdly, thanks everyone for being patient! I will write again ASAP. Feel free to let me know your thoughts and comments!