Chapter 9 — Hunt

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

― Marilyn Monroe

A lot had happened the last few days.

Ever since Serena had met Napoleon's pack, she had been introduced to even more Grimm. The newest of them were Grimm that looked just like wolves. It was harder to tame those — the ones that did not possess any bones attacked her the moment they saw her.

But thankfully Ajax had been with her at all times, and after a few more encounters, she managed to survive and eventually befriend the once hostile creatures. They backed down when they saw the bear look-alike Grimm was actually protecting her, though she saw that they were still not sure what to think of her. The usual method proved to be the most effective one, and after a few growls from Ajax and a few sniffs from the wolves, she had finally buddied up with what seemed to be yet another pack of Grimm.

Secondly — and the most extraordinary of all — she had suddenly become able to feel the emotions that Ajax, Napoleon and the other Grimm she was with felt.

At first, she'd thought that her mind was playing tricks on her or the like. But the more time passed, the more she felt emotions resonate within herself that did not belong to her. For example, she had felt extreme happiness when Ajax had met her one morning. Another time it had been a great sense of respect when she had been with Napoleon and the others.

Of course she respected and loved the animals. Yet she perceived that those feelings did not belong to her.
And with every passing day they became stronger to the point that she could feel Ajax's excitement at meeting her when he was still far away.

She concluded that she had somehow formed a strong bond with her friends — stronger than anything she had ever had with another human — and was therefor able to feel their emotions. At least that was the theory.

And, last but not least, she had cut her hair short. It had been hindering her during training; even if she put it in a ponytail it would still get in her way. And when she had traveled by tree it often got stuck on a branch and she had to untangle it every single time, which had been a lot.

So, instead of plaguing herself any further, she had grabbed her scissors and cut it short at the pond that was not too far from her new home. Now she wore it short, almost as short as a boy's. Her bangs still framed her face, but it was nothing compared to the amount of hair that she'd had before. She had loved her hair, sure, but she was the practical type of girl and therefor did not regret her actions. And she somehow liked it better now; it made her look more mature and, surprisingly enough, more feminine.

Now, most people think that cutting one's hair is not a big deal, but for her it was. It marked the start of her new life and that she was ready for anything it threw at her. She was ready to stand up for herself and live her life by her rules, no matter what troubles she might face in the future.

Another minor decision she had taken: it was time to hunt. She still did not welcome the thought of killing and eating an animal, but she'd had enough of eating berries and drinking water or tea that she made out of some herbs she knew, which weren't many to begin with.

She needed meat and today, she was going to get it.

That was also the reason why she was currently perched up high on a tree branch, her brown jeans and dark red hoodie blending in perfectly with the trees. She'd figured that being on higher ground would give her the advantage, granting her a good view over most of this part of the forest.

Perfect to make out her unfortunate victim.

Listen to me. I'm talking as if I want to kill a person, not a rabbit, she thought with a light snicker.

Ajax had stayed back at her cave when she'd told him to do so. He was such a good soul, always listening to her and protecting her.

The rustle of a bush made her return her focus to back beneath her. It came from her right, not too far off from her current position. She slightly raised her bow and nocking in an arrow, ready to take the shot. The rustling moved more to the left and finally a rabbit jumped out from its hiding place several feet from her. Its nose was sniffing the air, making those cute movements that she couldn't get enough of. It raised its head and its ears twitched and turned a little.

For a second, it looked over at her and Serena almost thought that it had detected her presence, but then it lowered its head again and started munching on some leaf-covered grass. The girl let out a silent breath and raised her bow more, arrow pointed at the rabbit. She pulled back on the cord and, with a slow release of breath, she let go. The animal didn't see it coming and the projectile hit it right in the chest, killing it instantly. Serena had aimed for the heart, not wanting to torment the poor thing, and it looked like she had hit her mark dead on.

She quickly climbed down and walked over to the now dead animal, feeling sorry that it had to die for her own benefit, but she would not waste the meat she gained from its sacrifice. Grabbing it by the ears, she lifted the rabbit into the air and began her way back home, her stomach grumbling to her own mortification. She was ashamed that she was actually delighted at the death of the creature — or at least her stomach was.

When she got back, Ajax was lying inside, beside the fire that she always maintained going. She had had enough trouble trying to light the first one, so she would be damned if she had to restart one every day. Her friend lifted his head from his paws and gave a low growl mixed in with a yawn in welcoming.

"Hey, hope I didn't wake you."

As if he understood, he shook his head and then walked over to her, looking quizzically at the animal in her hand and sniffing it a few times.

"It's for me, not you," she said teasingly, although she knew that he oddly enough did not need any kind of food. Never once had she seen him or any of the other Grimm eat. She concluded that they did not need to eat and so she had no worries about him stealing anything for his own consume, which was quite convenient.

The blue-eyed girl walked over to what she proudly referred to as her kitchen. It was nothing like an actual one, though. It was simply a big stone on the right side of the cave, just a few feet away from the fireplace. She had rolled it away a little with Ajax's help so that she could prepare her meal without the danger of falling over the other stones that she used to sit on. The surface was smooth and even, perfect for cutting meat or vegetables.

Serena laid the rabbit on the surface and grabbed the knife that lay on a little rock beside her kitchen. She used it to put on her knifes, cutlery, plates, glasses and the few pans and pots she owned. She carefully cut off the head — almost throwing up in the process — and threw it into the fire, letting the flames work their magic and reduce it to ash. She had no need for the head, and since she had no trash can she had no other choice but to let it be incinerated.

She proceeded to skinning the animal, her hands getting bloodier and bloodier by the second, and when she had to take out the organs she finally couldn't take it anymore and ran to the nearest tree to empty her stomach. After rinsing out her mouth and splashing some of the cool water onto her face, she resumed the task at hand until only the meat was left. It was a lot and she only pierced some of it onto one of the blades of her stick, then positioned it so that the it was hanging over the fire, the flames gently licking and roasting it. She opted for drying the rest of it in case she could not go out one day. With a little improvisation, she managed to hang it over the fire by a thread she'd bought during her first visit in the city.

When her food was roasted enough, she picked it off her staff with a fork and placed it on a plate that she had grabbed before. When it had cooled enough, she took the first bite, surprised that it actually tasted so good. She didn't particularly like rabbit meat, but if she had hunted a deer then she would never be able to consume all the meat. And, for starters, she thought that a rabbit would be enough.

It's good, but I still should go and look if they have some beef in some store in that city. I should also buy some dried meat, in case I run out of whatever I will kill next.

Her peaceful lunch was, however, disrupted by a sudden scream piercing the otherwise silent forest. Serena immediately dropped her meat and grabbed her stick, running out of her cave. She listened and waited for it to sound again and when she heard the scream, she could tell that it came from a girl.

It came from the left, she noted. Loosing no time, she took off, Ajax running behind her, alarmed by her sudden reaction. It was not long before she came upon a little girl that was facing a Grimm. The bear-like creature was poised in front of her, perched high on its hind legs and looked ready to deal the finishing blow. Before it could, Serena jumped between the Grimm and its prey.

"That's enough, Deion! Leave her alone," she commanded, arms spread protectively in front of the child. Deion was one of the troublemakers and she could feel his reluctance of letting his prey leave alive. But after a short glaring contest he finally let up and left, throwing a low growl and snort over his shoulder to voice his disgruntlement. It hadn't been easy to get close to him and Serena still had her doubts about fully trusting him.

Turning around, she stretched out her hand to the terrified girl and gave a kind smile. "Are you okay? I hope he didn't hurt you," she said gently, hoping that her voice would calm the poor child down.

It seemed to rip her out of her shock and Serena suddenly found herself crushed in a hug, the girl burying her head in her chest while crying. She gently wrapped her arms around her and stroked her back, hoping it would help her calm down.

She lifted her head when she heard quick footsteps approaching from in front of her and not shortly after, a girl maybe three or four years younger than her appeared, her hands wielding a giant scythe. She looked confused for a moment until she saw the girl the raven head was holding and then, quickly putting away her weapon, she walked over to the two.

"Are you two okay? I heard screaming and thought that maybe you were being attacked by Grimm."

"I-I was b-but this l-lady sa-saved me," the girl that had been attacked stuttered in reply, lifting her head from Serena's chest to look at the newcomer with teary eyes.

"That's good then. I almost thought you-"

She abruptly halted mid-sentence and grabbed her weapon again, the giant scythe unfolding in less than three seconds. Serena saw that she was looking at something right behind her and when she turned, she spotted Ajax behind a tree. It looked like he didn't know if he should approach and was awaiting his friend's signal.

"It's okay; he's with me. He won't do anything to us," Serena assured the silver-eyed girl. Both the child and scythe wielder were now looking at her as if she'd sported a second head.

Serena sighed once before speaking, "I guess I have some things to explain. Anyway, come along, I'll treat you to some tea and lunch if you want. My home's just over there."

With that said, she turned around and heard the other two following her after a short time of hesitation. She really had a lot of explaining to do.

Edited 27/12/2016

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.