Chapter 4 — Search

"For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree.

[…]

When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. […] You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all."

― Hermann Hesse,

Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte

Finding a suitable cave proved to be more of a task than Serena had initially thought. Not that there weren't enough; no that was not the problem. There were about a dozen caves that she'd already inspected, but they never really fit her needs. They were either too small or too low, or there was the possibility of them caving in after some time. And if there was one thing that she dreaded, then it was being buried alive, which meant dying a second time. Not that she didn't think that she would somehow be resurrected, but if she could avoid it then she really did prefer not to die again.

So she resumed her search, venturing even deeper into the forest. Here, the trees were thicker, making it look like the perfect hideout. The branches made it hard to move around freely and she had to watch her step, making sure not to trip over a vine or any other offending object. The branches of the trees looked fairly thick and sturdy, and Serena had no doubt that they would easily hold her weight if she were to sit on them. Now that she thought about it, they could actually help her move around well. If she could get up on them, then she could go from one tree to another like a squirrel.

That is, as long as she didn't fall down.

She had taken gymnastics when she'd still been a child and had taken up the sport again once she was in high school, so it wouldn't really be a problem. The school's gymnastics team was well-known around America and she had been qualified enough to be accepted into it. Among normal things such as a handstand and a somersault, she had also trained on the trapeze. Now, she was able to do back and front flips with ease, among multiple others.

Of course, it would be different performing acrobatics in the middle of a monster-infested forest than in a controlled environment. But if she was able to adapt to the forest and trees, she would be able to use those skills for maneuvering around and hunting animals.

The thought of killing an animal made her feel queasy. She used to have a dog herself — a Japanese Shiba Inu named Aki — and had been present when she had to be euthanized due to a malignant tumor that had infested her body. Serena had wanted to comfort her life-long friend in her final moments, to make her death somewhat easier. The young girl still remembered the way her eyes slowly closed, never once doubting that she would be there when she woke up again. Aki had had so much faith in them that she'd accompanied them to the vet without a second thought, wagging her tail all the while.

The memory of the death of her best friend and the pain she'd experienced made tears come to her eyes. She knew that it had been for her best, but Aki had still been her dog, the one she trusted the most. Since then, her repulsion of killing animals had grown stronger and she would tense up and be on the verge of crying every time she saw it on TV, even if it was one animal killing another.

But if she wanted to survive and stay healthy, then she would have to get used to it and get over her repulsion. She had eaten meat at home, so why not here too? After all, it was always an animal that had to die. It didn't matter if it was her who killed it or someone else. At least she could kill it in a way that would cause it no pain.

Having settled that, she thought about what kind of weapon she should use for hunting. She couldn't throw knifes or anything flashy like that, but she had taken archery (another class her friends were astounded about). She had always been amazed by the way people could hit a target dead on with just a bow and arrow — a weapon so primitive and yet so lethal. And so, when she'd had the opportunity to, she had taken archery lessons. And she had been pretty good at it too (if she dare be so bold), more than once hitting a bulls-eye or just slightly missing it.

Now that she thought about it, she had seen a weapon's store on her way back to the forest. It sold a vast variety of weapons, including a very sleek and modern looking set of bow and arrows.

Another thing she would be needing was a stick or spear. If she wanted to eat something other than just berries and meat, then she would need to go fishing. And since she wasn't one to sit around and wait for long — her patience being non-existent for those kinds of things — she would have to use a spear to fish. It also killed the fish instantly, so there was a positive side to it.

Retaining all those things in mind, she continued clearing a path until she spotted the opening of another cave a few yards away from her position. Moving over to it, she noticed that she'd trudged quite far into the forest. She could no longer see the outskirts of the city as she had been able to before, at the other caves.

Finally fighting her way through the thick canopy, she stood in front of a large cave, big enough to harbor several people at once. The opening was enormous — like a gaping mouth — and it looked to be quite stable, without any signs of caving in any time soon. Stepping inside, she sighed the cool temperature; a good feat for when it would be summer and temperatures would be rising.

The walls were surprisingly smooth, forming an arc over her head. It was deep, but not too deep, reaching in a few yards — enough space to live in without it being too empty. On the right side was an indent in the ground: a perfect place to make a fire. Behind it were some rocks that reached further into the room which could be used as seats. She just needed to place them around the fire and it would be a nice spot to sit and warm herself up in the evening.

To the left were some more rocks that reached into the room, creating more possibilities. She could use those as makeshift shelves, putting on them her clothes, weapons, shoes, as well as other things she would need. At the back, where the cave ended, there was one long rock that jutted out into the room. Its surface was as smooth as the walls behind it and it left enough space for two to three people. Serena decided to make it her bed.

The cavern felt so homey — which was odd in itself. It was almost as if somebody had lived here before but abandoned it long ago.

I guess I've found my new home, the girl thought contently.

She finally had a place she could refer to as home, even if it looked far from one at the moment.

Now I only have to decorate it a little and it could be pretty nice living here. I just hope it won't be getting too cold in the night.

Since it was still winter — at least she assumed it was — she put on her new pullover and the thick blanket. With that in mind, Serena made to putting her clothes on the rocks at the left before going off to find some kindling to start a fire.

An hour later, she had started a large fire which provided enough heat. She had also gathered a blanket full of leaves; she'd put them all into a duvet cover that she bought before she'd left the city. She had gathered as much as she could and now had a perfectly decent mattress. She swore it was more comfortable than the one she'd had at home: the leaves perfectly adjusted to her body and it felt as if she were lying on a cloud, the foliage softening the ground on which she lay. Being tired from all the events that had occurred in hardly a day, she pulled the blanket over herself and fell off to sleep.

Maybe, life wouldn't be so bad in this world.

Edited 01/12/2016

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.