*(A/N): Hey guys, I'm still on my break but I started this chapter a while ago and decided to finish it! Anyway, if you haven't read my latest story "What We Do for Love" then go check it out, it's not as different as I made it sound like before and there is a reference to this story in chapter five of that story.

So we have a lot of explaining in this chapter and some important stuff.

I have some questions for you guys at the end, so please enjoy!*

Do you know what it's like to not grow up with a family? To have maybe one or two people care about you? To have a father tell you he "loves" you only after he's dead? To have a sister who wants you dead and you don't even know why? To grow up believing you were a monster? To push everyone close to you away because you were afraid you would hurt them…or worse?...

…To feel completely alone?...

I know that feeling…a feeling that no one will ever love you…

Little did I know I was wrong…little did I know that everything I thought I knew would be put to the test…

Little did I know…that you don't have to be related to be a family…

~ Okami

The Calm before the Storm; The Trails Begin!

~ Okami ~

She was running through the forest as fast as she could. Her hood was protecting her wolf ears from the dampness of the morning fog. Her fast footsteps left no traces and no sound and she was thankful her hunter's training came in handy. She was panting heavily and losing her breath. She finally stopped to rest under a tree and calm her beating heart. It was around 5 in the morning and she left Beacon almost two hours ago.

"..I wonder if everyone else will be okay…"

She rested for a few more moments before standing to run again. She took one step forward and found herself on the ground with what felt like an animal sitting on top of her.

"Good girl, Urufu!" Ai said as she ran out of the bushes.

Following Ai was her wolf, Hime, along with team RWBY.

"Why are you all here? I told Aleks not to let you guys come after me!" Okami asked.

"Aleks told us everything," Blake said. "he told us that he was glad that you had friends who cared about you and he didn't want you to throw that all away. So he told us about what you asked him to do and told us to follow you as fast as we could. We had Urufu follow your sent and you forgot to turn off the tracker on your scroll…"

"But I told Aleks to-" Okami was interrupted by her scroll going off signaling she has a message.

"Hey, Okami!

So I've been thinking…and I realized I don't owe you any favors. Don't you dare pull a 'you lead me to believe you were dead' thing because I didn't even know YOU survived.

Look, these people care about you. That's a huge accomplishment considering they can be…difficult. These guys are the 'family' you always wanted…

You shouldn't need my help with this, but…call me if you need me.

~ Aleks"

"Aleks you son of a bitch!" Okami thought as she sighed and faced her friends.

"But, WHY are you guys here?" Okami asked.

"Well, you are part of our family." Ruby said with a smile.

"Even if some of us didn't like you at first…" Weiss said in a soft voice.

"…Or still not quite like you now…" Yang said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You are a sister to us, and we can't see our lives without you." Blake concluded. Blake then hugged Okami and everyone else followed her lead besides Ai.

Okami noticed this and gently slipped out of RWBY's embrace to walk over to the white wolf faunus. "Ai, are you okay?"

Ai shot her head up and glared at the taller faunus before her. A second later, Ai clenched her right fist and slammed it into Okami's left cheek. Okami stumbled and fell flat on her back, Ai then startled her and started swinging her arms into Okami.

"How dare you try to run from us!" Ai screamed as her hits started to become harder.

"Ai, stop! That's starting to hurt!" Okami shouted while she was trying to protect her face and grab Ai's arms at the same time.

Team RWBY had to run over and pull Ai off of Okami before she stopped fighting. Okami sat up and brushed herself off when she noticed the expression on Ai's face.

Ai was silently crying and holding Okami's old scarf close to her chest. "I thought I was going to lose you again… I've already lost you once; I can't take losing you again. I won't be able to."

Ai's shoulders shook violently as the sobs took control of her. Okami felt like she would start crying herself, but instead she got up and knelt in front of Ai with her hands on her trembling shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Ai." Okami said in a calming yet serious tone. "You won't lose me again and I will never lose you. We are a team now, we're a family, and it was wrong for me to leave on my own… But I did it because I don't want you to get hurt, because I can't stand the thought of losing you either, any of you… I would rather let myself die if it meant that you guys can live on. You guys mean more to me than you'll ever understand…"

Okami cupped her right hand under Ai's chin and lifted her head to look into her eyes. Okami wiped the falling tears off of Ai's beautiful face and kissed her forehead, when she pulled back she put on a warm and loving smile before she began to speak again.

"I love you, Ai…you might understand someday when you find your special someone…"

Okami then had a sad look in her eyes, but she wasn't done talking just yet. Okami looked back up with encouragement in her voice and determination in her eyes.

"You and I are a team, a family, a pack of two…and I promise you won't lose me, not for a very long time."

Okami then stood up and offered her hand to Ai very much like the first time they met and Ai looked at it with awe. Okami then gave a small laugh. "What's wrong, don't you trust me?"

Ai nodded and took Okami's empty hand. Okami pulled her up on her feet; Ai wiped any remaining tears away and smiled. "Thank you, Okami."

Okami nodded at her crush and turned to face the rest of her companions.

"So, where do we have to go to kick your sister's ass?" Yang asked slamming a fist in the palm of her other hand.

"Actually, I'm not going to fight her…at least not yet." Okami said as she continued to head in the right direction.

"Wait, then how are you going to fix everything?" Asked the white haired fencer.

"Weiss, if I fight her the way I am now she's going to beat me like she did in the Heir Battle." Okami said while stepping over a tree root.

"What's the 'Heir Battle?" Ruby asked in a very childlike manner.

Okami sighed and turned to explain. "The Heir Battle is a tradition in the village; it's when the children of the last or current Alpha engage in a non-lethal fight to determine which of them will be the next Alpha. However, if the village wants someone else to rule they must chant that participant's name when the winner is declared."

Ruby nodded showing that she understood and it was Blake's turn to ask a question. "So then what exactly are we doing?"

"We're going to the Shrine to get the Amulet of 'The Original ookami', then we're going to the Kiba tomb to retrieve my father's sword and armor."

"The original what now?" Yang asked raising an eyebrow.

Okami stopped and thought about it for a while remembering RWBY doesn't know about Wolfism. "The Original ookami, it's kind of like our 'god'. You guys remember how I explained the wolf faunus came to be, right?"

Team RWBY nodded so Okami continued. "Well, that wolf that was with Man is what we refer to as 'The Original ookami' or the 'First'. We believe that Man and the First lived in peace and harmony and that the First is who maintained that order…"

"However, light and darkness can't exist without the other." Ai said. "So where there is light, there is darkness."

Okami nodded approving the quote. "A dragon, by the name of Grimm, could not stand the joy and happiness both humanity and faunus shared and reeked havoc on all of early Remnant…"

"And where there is darkness, there is light." Ai said completing the quote.

"Like Yin and Yang, the First rose up and challenged Grimm. It was a deadly battle and during it Grimm was thrown to the earth and created the Void and Grimm's blood fell and created it's children, the creatures of grimm. The First was also injured and from it's fallen blood the Guardians were born… In the end, the First won and put Grimm under a sleeping curse and sealed it in a sword; however, the First was gravely wounded. An amulet was made and given to the First when it placed the remainder of it's aura in the metal and passed away… it is now kept in the Shrine of the Captured Grimm with the Blade of Grimm."

Everyone was silent trying to take it all in. They traveled west until they were half way to Minstrel two hours later, where they found a cove on the beach and decided to rest for a while.

"See that over there?" Okami asked pointing north out towards the water, about two miles out at sea was a thick ominous fog and you can vaguely see land and very tall, dark trees. "That's where we're going."

"Your home is on Dragon's Rock?" Blake asked in awe.

"Kind of makes sense if you really think about it." Weiss said crossing her arms over her chest.

"We are really close now, the cave I told you about on the way over here is only a few miles to the-" Okami was interrupted by a loud and powerful roar.

Okami got up and ran out of the cove to face the forest. Her stomach dropped when she saw the nearly one hundred ursa and beowolves. Team RWBY and Ai gathered beside her and readied their weapons.

"No, you guys head south until you reach the cave…I'll cover for you." Okami said as she stepped towards the large amount of grimm before her.

"Are you sure?" Ai asked as she stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

Okami turned her gaze towards her and Ai quickly let her go and stepped back a few feet. "I'm sure."

Ai nodded and she and team RWBY had Urufu guide them on where to go. When she was sure her friends were at a safe distance, Okami continued to walk forward and gradually released her aura.

"It's about damn time you began to rely on me to save you." Kira said with a slight chuckle.

"Heh, enjoy it while you still can Kira… Because after today, I won't have to deal with you anymore."

Okami stopped walking and she felt herself growing bigger, faster, and stronger.

"You can't get rid of me that easily… I am a part of you now."

Okami began to feel a warm sensation spread across her body and her face and nose growing longer.

"…We'll see about that…"

Okami felt her eyes burn and she knew her eyes were changing from blue to red. She looked at the creatures of grimm before her in her now beowolf form. She took a deep breath and let out an earth rattling roar worthy of Grimm itself causing the grimm to charge right at her.

"As you wish…Master…"

She then charged forward…and blood started to rain down.

An hour later she found the cave and was back in human form. As she approached, Okami stopped when she heard the subject of their conversation.

"So, I hear Ozpin has finally made you and Okami a team!" Ruby said enthusiastically. "Bet you're happy about that!"

"Yes, I really am actually." Ai said in a happy tone. "He made Okami the leader too."

"Really?" Weiss said surprised. "How does Okami like her new leadership?"

There was a long moment of silence before Ai replied in a sad tone. "She hates it actually…"

"Why is that?" Blake asked in a concerned voice.

"You see…" Ai explained. "Five years ago, Okami became a captain huntsman and was the leader of a team with twenty members besides her. There were reports that human invaders was camped out on the southern beach, Okami and her team was ordered to scout the area and if they found any humans they were to kill them… Later that same day, humans attacked the village. After the battle, I found Okami near the palace buried in ash and those claw marks on her back, another scout team found all twenty of her teammates dead not even half way to the beach… The following day, Okami stepped down from being captain and became a regular huntress like she was before…"

Everyone was quiet taking it all in until Yang broke the silence. "Why did they all die?"

"Because I abandoned them…" Okami said as she walked into the cave startling everyone.

"What do you mean by, 'abandoned'?" Weiss asked.

"It means just that." Okami said in a monotone voice. "…I left them to die."

"What the hell happened?!" Yang shouted in outrage while Blake and Ruby had to hold her back. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU LET THEM DIE?!"

Okami took a deep breath before she started explaining. "…We were traveling together to the area we were suppose to scout, about a quarter of the way to the beach something big swooshed past me that caught my eye… I ordered my team to keep going while I would investigate but I told them not to engage until I came back. I started tracking the thing down thinking it might have been a human and even if it was I knew I wouldn't be able to kill it, but I tracked it down anyway… I passed the village and was close to the Shrine when I lost it. I was about to give up when something crashed into me from behind and was heading for the village fast. I followed it and found the village was under attack and partially on fire, so I sprung into action assuming my team was already there… I knocked out some humans and checked the burning houses for trapped faunus, then I was trapped. I started heading for the palace when a beam on fire blocked my path, I tried heading back but by then the fire spread around and trapped me in the courtyard. I was looking for a way out when I felt a pain I have never felt before spread across my back and I passed out… When I came around I was bandaged up and was told my team didn't even make it to the beach, I resigned the next day… It was all my fault…"

Everyone grew quiet again, even Yang calmed down after hearing the whole story. All because of one decision, Okami lost her team of twenty and whoever died in the village… All because of one small choice, people died…

"It was my first mission as captain, the one and only time I was responsible for someone…" Okami said resting her head in her arms. "…because of me now they're all dead!"

Okami slammed a fist into a rock drawing blood but also leaving a crack in that same rock. Ruby got up and hugged her from behind, mean while Blake took off her ribbon and used it as a temporary bandage. Blake pulled up Okami's sleeve to reveal more of her forearm and she froze.

"Okami, what are these?" Blake asked showing everyone the inside of her arm. Rows and rows, even rows on top of other rows, were horizontal scars all the same size, shape, and depth lined up and down BOTH her arms. It looked like they were from different times, there were hundreds of them and also looked self inflicted.

Okami pulled her arm away and pulled her sleeve back down. "I don't want to talk about it now, that's a whole other story… Hey, what did Aleks mean when he said you guys rejected him?"

Team RWBY gave each other nervous looks but Weiss was the only one to speak. "THAT…is a whole other story, it would be too much to explain now."

Okami nodded in understanding and saw that the sun was still high in the sky. "You guys should get some shut eye; we are going to go through the tunnel once the sun starts to set. We are going to head for the shrine first since it's past the village so we'll need the dark; the tomb is more to the south eastern coast so from there we can 'borrow' a boat and just head back to Vale directly. If any of you have some dark clothing, I suggest you put it on now."

Everyone nodded and did what they were told; Ruby and Blake set up a small area for them and their respectful girlfriends to sleep while Weiss and Yang changed into some darker attire.

Everyone was asleep after two hours except for Okami who kept watch outside the cave. Her ears twitched when she heard one of the girls shift around inside, not even a minuet later Okami heard someone call her. "Okami."

Okami turned to see Ai standing near the entrance and spoke. "You should get some rest."

"So should you." Ai responded. "If you are going to lead us in that death trap, then you need the most rest out of all of us."

"I'm not leading anyone." Okami said as she turned facing out of the cave again. "Besides, who will stand guard?"

Ai walked around to the front of Okami and looked her in the eye. "I'm sure Hime and Urufu wouldn't mind, right guys?

Both Hime and Urufu nodded and Okami sighed giving up. She and Ai walked back into the cave and laid down next to each other with Okami facing Ai and Ai with her back to Okami.

"When the world turns it's back on you, then you turn your back on the world…and turn to (me,) the Lone Wolf."

"Shut up Kira, I'm trying to sleep."

"…I was only quoting you…"

"I don't fucking care right now, I want to sleep."

"Fine, have it your way…"

"Hey, Okami?" Ai said snapping Okami back to reality.

"Yes?"

Ai then turned over and faced Okami. "Are those marks inside your arm?"

Okami kept quiet for a short while. "It's my way of keeping count."

"Count of what?"

Okami then turned over and faced away from Ai. "The mistakes I made and the people who are gone because of me…"

Ai remained silent and Okami didn't say anything else, instead she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

When Okami woke back up, the sun was almost completely down. She got up and woke everyone else up and started to prepare them for what was going to come.

Whatever food you have, eat it now or throw it away, we don't want any wolves or grimm to smell it. Now, we are going to be underground right now for about an hour so we can use flashlights, but once we get out they go off. It's going to be dark and hard to see; so I want Yang to stick with Blake, Weiss can choose Hime or Ai, and Ruby can choose between Urufu and me. Everybody got that?"

Everyone nodded as they ate, in the end Weiss chose Hime and Ruby chose Urufu. Now they were ready to head underground.

Half way through the tunnel, Okami finally broke the silence.

"It may be best if we remain as quiet as possible on the other side, so I want to apologize now for earlier… I was kind of having a mid life crisis."

"Um, Okami?" Blake spoke up. "You're only seventeen…"

"You never told them?" Ai asked surprisingly.

"Tell us what?" Yang asked.

"Well…" Okami began explaining. "Humans have a life expectancy of 70 – 80 years. Wolves however, only live between 15 – 20 years… Wolf faunus is both human and wolf, we live longer than a wolf but shorter then a human. Our life expectancy is only 30 – 40 years…"

Again the group was quiet trying to take it all in and it would remain that way until they reached the Shrine.

They reached the Shrine without a hitch and Okami showed them how to get in through the roof.

Once they were inside, they all walked up to the altar where the Amulet of The Original ookami sat on top of the Blade of Grimm.

Okami looked at the Amulet before picking it up and realizing that the Amulet was of a wolf head. The Amulet was silver and it had it's "fur" come down from the sides of it's head and wrap around itself to hold a white stone in place. Okami also thought it was funny the wolf's head had a "scar" or "scratch over it's right eye.

Okami then picked it up and put it on, instantly it began to glow and the stone turned from white to a sky blue.

"I have to leave for now, but this isn't goodbye… You WILL see me again."

"Good bye Kira, I won't be missing you."

Okami was about to turn around to leave when she noticed something odd…

"Something isn't right…" Okami said.

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"…The sword, it isn't glowing…"

"What makes you think it glows?" Weiss asked raising an eyebrow.

"Last time it glowed red and had a reddish tinge to the scabbard…"

"'Last time'?" Ai asked snapping her head towards Okami.

Okami shook her head and turned away. "No, it's nothing…"

They left the Shrine and three hours later they made it to the tomb. Okami was kind of happy being home and all and she wished she could show the others around…but she knew if she was caught things wouldn't go too well…

The tomb was very similar to the one in her dream, except there was more writing on the stone…

Those may only enter if you have on of the following traits:

The Innocence of the Rose

The Gratitude of Snow

The Acceptance of Shadows

The Protection of Fire

The Sacrifice of Love

And the Strength of the Wolf.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Yang asked clasping her hands behind her head.

As soon as she said that, a hole appeared inside the rock and a thick fog came flooding out. Soon, they were all surrounded and the fog was so thick they couldn't see any of the others. At first they were all calling out to each other, but then one by one they stopped leaving Okami feeling alone.

Okami was crying desperately to the others when a familiar voice called her from behind. "Hey there, Zasshuken."

Okami slowly turned hopping it was only Ai trying to pull a joke, but she knew she wasn't that lucky. She saw a girl slightly taller then her with blood red eyes, black hair that matched her black wolf tail, and two sharp fangs in her evil smile.

"…Tsume…"

*(A/N): So did anyone catch the reference Weiss made about another story? Let me know if you did!

So now here's the important question… Now that you know the reason why Okami is against being a leader and he knows about it, do you think Ozpin and Ai made the right choice in making Okami the leader of OKAY?

Now I have one more question for fun. I don't read much other OC stories but yet you all say Okami is your favorite OC overall. So my question is; why is Okami your favorite and what makes Okami different from other OCs?

Also, if any of you guys live in the USA (Southern California to be exact) and are planning to go to the L.A. Anime Expo, then you may have a chance to meet me in person. I will be wondering around in the vender hall on July 5 (Saturday) and will be wearing a black "I Love Anime" t-shirt and a necklace that looks surprisingly similar to the Amulet of the Original ookami (and maybe a sky blue LA hat). If you aren't sure if it's me, then the code phrase is: "Blake likes books" and if I don't reply "No shit Sherlock" then it's not me. Hope to meet some of you guys there!

I'll see you guys soon and don't forget to check out WWDfL! See ya next time!* :D