"Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life."

Morning in the Emerald Forest truly is a sight to behold. The beautiful oak trees, the greener grass and the overall magical feel of the forest.

A lone crow flew above the trees, the poor creature looking for a little snack to bide his time.

It's pitch black eyes scanned the forest floor below, looking for anything. Rat, mouse, cat, or dog. Anything that was both helpless and eatable. It flapped it's majestic wings, wanting to get a better vantage point from higher up.

"...Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" Ruben's voice roared, as he was sent full force into the bird. The only thing left was a puff of feathers that descended slowly below. Ruben felt his nerves calming ever so slightly, enough of his sense telling him that if he hit the ground at this speed, he would soon end up like that bird he hit.

He swung his weapons forward, his guns locked and loaded. Without any caution, he sent several shots into the forest below. Each pull of the trigger sending him back, slowing his descent.

He continued his screaming, as if his gapping mouth would help slow him down.

He could hear the sounds of his gunfire echoing in the distance, as he counted off how many shells he was wasting. Two. Four. Six. Eight. Ten...

Winter felt himself descending quickly, rather quickly at that.

He didn't have time to try to wait. To try to catch his breath. He needed to do one thing.

And one thing only.

Find Pyrrha. That's all that mattered. His team needed to be his Team. Meaning: Him. Pyrrha, and whoever the found along the way.

His hand on his holster as he prepped himself for his landing. He unholstered his weapon, shutting his left eye as he sent a a Dust shell into the forest below. As soon as he heard contact, he extended his left hand, and as if he was pulling a rope, jerked his hand back. A purple sort of web wrapped around his arm, pulling him towards his fired shot.

He immediately began being pulled towards his shot, the area surrounding the shell a white snowflake. He landed without as much as a sigh, before he opened his action and replaced the spent shell. He looked out and around the surrounding forests. He spun his wheel, flicking with the hammer of his revolver as he took off into the depths.

He needed to find Pyrrha. And he needed to find her fast.

Yin was ecstatic about the free falling, screams of excitement and fun almost matching Ruben's fired shots in sheer sound.

He hasn't felt this free since the motorcycle rides he took. To feel no longer constraint by human limitations. He was flying. He was one with the world around him.

Yin finally reached the forest floor, landing feet first onto the ground. His knees absorbing all of the shock as he landed. He could feel the cloud dust mushroom around him, thankful he was wearing his stylish shades.

He looked down at his feet, seeing he was knee deep in the earth beneath him. He also didn't take into account that he would leaving a crater about the size of a living room in the ground.

Without a care in the world, Yin knocked his knuckles together with a playful smile on his face. His gauntlets took form, as he pulled his leg out of the ground. He then proceeded to take off and run towards the temple.

As Ruben reached the tops of the trees, he swung his right handed weapon into it's scythe form. The blade grooved into a hefty branch, swinging him in a full circle. Ruben pulled the scythe off, dropping onto the forest floor just as his eyes began flashing stars and bleeding into white.

"Just a quick descent. And a little spinning. No need to upchuck now. You need to find Yin." Ruben thought to himself, before taking off full sprint into the forest to find his brother. He couldn't feel his stomach, or see exactly if he was going the right direction. He holstered his weapons, his arms swinging beside him as he took off sprinting.

"Have to find Yin. Have to find Yin!" Ruben thought, before coming to a full stop, looking both directions and deciding to take off to the right.

"Yin!" He shouted, looking all around for his brother. "Yin!" He could feel his anxiety beating his heart into his throat, his muscles tensing and his nerves racking.

"What if I can't find Yin? What if I can't find him? Who else is there? Jaune? He's...nice. A bit of a wimp, but a 'friend' none the less. I guess. Maybe. Blair? We both don't talk much. He seems smart enough to be able to hold a conversation with me. We might not see eye to eye on certain things though." Ruben cursed to himself, shutting his eyes for a moment and running a hand through his hair. "Come on! There's Blair, Jaune, and Yin? Who else do I-" Ruben's thoughts were cut short, smacking into a fellow at full force.

Both bodies toppled over onto the grass, Ruben's face running into the dirt and the other student landing flat on their back. Ruben pulled his face out of a pile of leaves, rubbing this throbbing forehead and rubbed red cheeks. He heard the groaning of the student from behind him, followed by a groan. Ruben stood up. He could hear the other stand up onto his feet, the crunching sound of dead leaves all he could hear.

The two turned to each other, their eyebrows furrowed and anger rising. They pointed fingers before they saw each other's faces, their faces contorted with rage and annoyance.

"What's your prob-" They both started, Ruben's eyes meeting Winter's. The shining silver meeting the icy blue once again. They stood there in silence for a brief moment, their minds both knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Mostly because it was the exact same thing they were thinking.

Disappointment. Angry. Disbelieved. Astonished.

"Of all the people in this school..." They thought, before averting their eyes away from each other. "It had to be you." Ruben's hands closing at his sides. Not out of anger or a futile attempt to try and intimidate Winter. He simply was embarrassed, wondering what to do now. Winter looked away, not wanting to believe this.

No.

He didn't believe it.

Winter ran his hand over his chin, then over his face. He couldn't...wouldn't...can't believe this happened to him. He was stuck with Ruben, the child who would have been on the receiving end of beating only a day earlier.

The child who almost killed them by stomping on a very explosive piece of Dust.

The child who threatened to put him in the ground.

The child who told him to sleep with one eye open.

That child.

Was now his parter.

Ruben was stuck with Winter, the princess who would have been regretting his words if he knew the things Ruben has done.

The Princess who exaggerated everything.

The Princess who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

The Princess who thought he was better than everyone else.

That Princess.

Was now his partner.

All the while Pyrra was out there. Partnerless. Alone. He shot a look of discontent towards Ruben before storming off. Ruben took a step forward to follow him, only to not waste his time. Ruben watched him leave, before waving him off and moving to lean against a near by tree. He kicked out his feet, before shutting his eyes and getting in a quick cat nap.

"You'll be back." Ruben mumbled, yawning a bit as he waited for his partner to return. "You'll come back."

Winter kept his eyes pinned to the forest floor, making sure to stomp on every ant, snail, leave and stick in his way. Mumbling cursing every curse under the sun. He mumbled nonsensical phrases and things to himself, trying to keep himself calm.

"Hey, Winter..." A voice croaked out. Winter looked up, seeing Jaune up in the tree. Winter raised a brow. Wondering how he, Jaune, could have survived the fall alone.

He had no prep. No training. In fact, Winter was assured that he never held a weapon in his life.

Then he noticed something sticking out of his hood. He was skewered to the tree. Pinned with a familiar looking spear. Pyrrha's spear.

"Pyrrha saved his worthless hide?" Winter thought, confused. Why would she do that? Maybe she pitied him. He did. Ruben did. Everyone pitied poor VomitBoy.

"I was wondering if-" Winter thought about the idea of being Jaune's partner instead of Ruben's. Having...the novice...full of himself...idiot...on his team. Talking to him. Wanting to be his friend. Being in the same room as him.

The very instant the thought crossed his mind, Winter turned heel and walked away. The thought of it was even worse. He would rather someone who would try to kill him in his sleep rather than someone who couldn't even pick up his heavy pillow. Jaune shut his hand, letting out a sigh. "Perfect."

Winter was on his way to returning to Ruben, his hand rubbing against his smooth cheek. Pyrra should have been his partner. He was the best candidate. The best fighter. The best of...everything. And so was she. They would have been perfect together.

They would have been so perfect together.

"Back so soon?" Ruben asked, pricking up his ears when he heard Winter's shoes crunch the fallen dead leaves. Winter was brought out of his thoughts, hating being reminded of the partnership he was now apart of.

Winter walked towards Ruben, his eyes narrowed and his hand on the grip of his weapon.

"This is the deal." Winter stated, holding up a finger and pointing it in Ruben's face. Ruben's eyes looked at the finger then back up at Winter, a low growl escaping his lips. "Alright? You and I are not friends. But we will work together solely because we have to. Got it?"

"Can't imagine a better deal, Princess." Ruben admitted, smirking a bit. "Shall we?" Ruben looked towards the right and gestured with his eyes, watching Winter nod softly to him as he pulled his hand out of Ruben's face. Winter waved for Ruben to follow, taking lead. Ruben pushed himself off the tree, walking besides Winter through the forest.

"So..." Winter started, glancing over at Ruben. Ruben keep his eyes looking at anything but Winter. His eyes looked over the trees. The rays of sun beaming between. The sounds of the forest. The chirping. The howling. Anything but Winter.

Winter could se the indifference in Ruben's eyes, just as upset about this as he is. Before turning his eyes back forward, he called out to Ruben. "Know what we are doing? Or do I need to hold your hand?"

"Funny. I don't have a clue-" Ruben started, hearing a rustle in the bushes interrupt him. Ruben stopped, raising his hand for Winter to stop as well. Winter stopped, his hand wrapped around his weapon's handle. Thumb on the hammer.

Ruben lowered his hand, stopping his breathing and shut his eyes for a moment. There was another rustle, Ruben's eyes shooting open as he unholstered his weapons. The weapons locking and forming their gun form. "We have company."

"I can tell..." Winter said with noticeable fear, drawing his weapon and locking the hammer. Ruben looked around the area, seeing several Beowolves crawling out of the depths of the forest.

The beast slouched on it's hind legs, it's blood red eyes looking over it's prey. The dark fur as black as it's heart. Bits of bone protruding out of it's arms and back. The most noticeable bone was the skull, the moon white that adorned it's ugly face.

One Beowolf in particular roared, it's claws out and primed to kill.

He was big Beowolf. He was bad Beowolf.

Ruben reaching his hands around his weapons' grips, his breathing slowing and his mind devising a plan of attack. He would attack the big one first. Then the others.

"Better not slow me down..." Winter whispered, bringing his hand up and shutting his left eye. His sights running over several Beowolf's heads. He would aim for the bridge of their noses, hoping the shell would have enough power to blast through the back of their skulls. "This is going to be a real fight-"

"Winter?" Ruben interuppted, his hands tightening around his weapons. A glimmer in his eyes and a smile forming on his face. "I don't know people that well, don't make friends easy. You know that." He stared down the Beowolf before him, letting out a light chuckle in response.

"However, fighting monsters? That! I can do." With that, Ruben brought out his weapons and rushed the Beowolf not a moment sooner.

Gunfire and howling soon followed.