Chapter One:

Edge of Life and Death

A wild roar has struck the silence of the morning atmosphere, shattering the calm idyll into tiny little pieces. Sharp claws have sliced through the cold air, barely missing their target, and so another bestial cry has escaped from the large monster's throat, more and more enraged.

It was an easy play for the short girl: just taunt her opponent and dodge its slow blows. Nothing more, nothing less. The lips below those ocean blue eyes have curled into a joyful smile, not taken aback by the possible dangers of this encounter. A giggle was let out into the wind. Her rough, dark brown hair was tied behind in a single, long ponytail; it freely flailed on its own as she was hopping around her enemy.

"Ea~sy!" she said in her high-pitched voice, then turned around and began shaking her wide hips at the monster. The energetic girl's body was surprisingly curvaceous for her petite size. "Can't catch me!"

She taunted, but by the time she had blinked for a second time, the Alpha Beowolf already closed the distance. The girl's large, round eyes have widened from the sight of the incoming attack, and the surprise of this sudden speed have caught her in such a shock that she was unable to flee. A timid cry has left her mouth, but the beast did not reach her, even against all the odds.

"Huh...?"

The dangerous blow was stopped midway, blocked by a force that neither sides of this conflict have seen coming. A tall girl was standing between them, shining with a bright yellow color in this shadowy green forest. Her skin-tight golden vest had left her thin arms open to the sight, leaving the well-defined muscles to be seen as a proof of her physical pride. Even so, not even she could compare against an Alpha's raw power, and though she was holding its paws back with her quarterstaff, this was not a position she could maintain for long. The protective girl's small, sharp-edged emerald eyes were burning with an unhealthy mixture of rage and determination, but as expected, the creature of Grimm was not in the least fazed by that expression. On the contrary, this overflowing feeling of hatred seemed to be fueling its desire to vanquish.

"Lily!" the small girl behind her shouted, enthusiastic of this fated meeting, but in the heat of the moment her now bound partner was a lot less happy about it.

"You are such a pain!" she shouted back in her annoyance, yielding a step backwards. She was losing this struggle at a rapid speed!

Gathering strength from the momentarily anger she had felt against the small girl, Lily let go of the stalemate and used the beast's own pushing power to sweep the creature off its feet. The Alpha fell forward, heeding gravity, but the two girls have swiftly jumped out of its way to safety.

They've gained a brief pause, a chance to breathe freely, which Lily immediately used to chastise the girl for her reckless behavior.

"Do NOT taunt the Grimm!" Her voice lacked the usual kindness, it was harsh and unforgiving instead.

"I'm so glad I got to meet with you first!" Szandra exclaimed happily, reaching out for a hug. She completely ignored the statement of her best friend.

Lily quickly seized Szandra's hand, lightly twisting it to get some painful weight on her worrying words.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"You may have met me, but I've almost met your dead body!"

Time was not something that they have had an abundance of, unfortunately. The Alpha got back on its feet, although, it did not advance on the two girls. Not yet. It kept watching them, carefully circling around its targets. Evaluating. Examining. Learning about the interesting prey. It definitely had seen quite a few fights in its life, it was experienced, Lily could see it in its movements. The humanoid werewolf-like creature was around as large as a van, probably as heavy too, and there were numerous scars and scratches on the white scale armor protruding from its body. She never knew that the Emerald Forest has had such old Grimm.

Then, the beast finally came to a decision: the weak humans will be torn apart, here and now! Its body tensed, the muscles hardened in anticipation of combat, but Lily noticed these small changes, and so prepared herself accordingly. She shoved Szandra behind her back and took on a defensive stance with her staff.

However, instead of a charge, the Alpha suddenly let out a chilling howl into the sky. It was heard far and wide in the forest, echoing inside the mind of everyone in the vicinity. Soon enough, numerous smaller beowolves have shown up in response to the call, eagerly crawling out from the shadows of the surrounding treeline. The once rather empty meadow was now filled with Grimm, encircling the two girls who had no way of escape. Szandra pushed her back against Lily in fear, while her blue eyes darted from one monster to the other.

Lily grit her teeth. This was not something that either of them had seen coming. The girl knew that Szandra won't be much of a help in a fight, and that she herself can not provide protection from all-around.

'This is bad!'

With only the Alpha breathing down their neck they might have been able to run away, but now that they were surrounded... Different scenarios were rolling through her imagination, trying to think up a move for every possible turn of events, but again, she did not have time for that. One mistake, one small misstep, and both of them could very well end up dead. No, not 'could'. Will!

Szandra reached to her belt with shaking fingers, equipping her whip, Stormcaller. The long, black rope was personally weaved by her, with finely grinded Lighting Dust embedded into its structure. The supernatural material gave the whip a distinctively glittering sparkle, although, unlike most forms of Dust appliances, this was simply there for decoration. She had designed it to combat some rather unsavory individuals in the past, and so while it has had some success against people, it had already proven ineffective against more than one Grimm. Nevertheless, it was a weapon; a single thread of lifeline, which was separating her from death. A few minutes ago, she was just running around, looking for the checkpoints, then an Alpha had found her, and now... What is this situation!?

'This is just the initiation!' Even her thoughts were trembling. 'We're not in actual danger, are we? ...Are we?'

Watching from the cover of the underbrush, the girl felt it harder and harder to contain herself. Of course, she did not want to get involved at first, which is why she hid. When she had arrived, that small girl was still just playfully jumping around, but this was no longer a laughing matter. A monster is one thing, but a whole pack? Those two were in a serious trouble; she has to help them! Her hands tightened into fists and she was ready to rise out from the vegetation, when all of a sudden she has felt a forceful touch on her left shoulder, not allowing her to stand up. The girl looked at the mysterious person behind, and her icy blue eyes immediately went wide with surprise.

"Let us see the will to change their fate. Don't you think?"

The first beast rushed forward, eager to tear its claws into the young flesh, but was quickly beaten back by Lily's trained reflexes. Luminaire hit the creature directly in the jaw, but there was no rest, for the girl used the same momentum to spin around and swat another set of razor-sharp teeth away. Szandra ducked her head below, allowing her friend's staff to safely bypass her, and when all was clear, she too struck a Grimm with Stormcaller. The whip split the air apart with a bang, and while it did hit the target, the beowolf was merely staggered by the blast.

Lily's quick movements allowed her to keep the enemy at bay, however, there was a limit to her capabilities, and with Szandra here, she was pinned down to this defensive spot, unable to make use of her agility. The smaller girl behind her readied her whip again, not allowing Lily to do all the work, and struck out once more to a different opponent. Unfortunately, her bad stance caused Stormcaller not to crack this time, and the rope effortlessly flailed against the monster, whose red eyes glinted at this golden opportunity. The beowolf bit into rope and forcibly pulled the girl out from the other's protection, and by the time Lily had realized what was going on behind her back, Szandra was already out at the edge of the circle.

"Szandra!" she cried out in terror, seeing her friend crawling on the ground. She was immediately about to jump to her, relocate, when the Alpha made a move against her from nowhere, kicking her back and furthering the distance. The Grimm were consciously separating them!

Disarmed and helpless, the fallen girl was immediately surrounded by the pack. She desperately tried to make a getaway on all fours, but as soon as she turned her back, she was marked by the touch of death. It wasn't long until the first strike came crashing down on her, and another, then another, as the whole pack took its turn to try and tear away her soul. Pinned down into the grass, the girl has felt every bit of force applied by these strikes. Then, her Aura broke under the pressure. This thin veil of protection, which envelopes every living being's body, it was no more. The girl made one last attempt to get up and run away, but in vain. Claws tore into her back almost immediately, slashing apart the now unprotected flesh.

Instead of pain, which did not register, Szandra felt a somewhat stranger feeling. A warm wetness began spreading over her body, and her clothes got stuck to her skin. Overtaken by disbelief and shock, Szandra failed to comprehend the situation. Her eyes went wide and blank, they've lost their light, as the blood from the gaping wound escaped her life. She fell back onto the ground. The sky shone in a beautiful blue color; that was all she saw before a beowolf's head cast a shadow on her.

'No...'

The monster stared at its now disabled prey, seemingly enjoying the sight of that slowly dying flame within, but then opened its mouth to reveal those impossibly sharp, needle-like teeth. Using her remaining strength, the girl tried to wiggle her way out, but had no chance against the strength of this execution.

'No...! No! No, please no!'

One bite will end this struggle. The monster's jaw struck downwards for the kill, and a bloodcurdling scream has escaped the girl's throat, begging for safety. The weight on her body then all of a sudden disappeared, and the clear sky above once more shined into her eyes. She couldn't quite see it well, but caught the glimpse of a flying object ramming the Grimm square in the head. The beast rolled off from its prey, and soon the whole pack was dispersed from around the injured huntress, as the drone returned with suppressing fire to chase them away from her.

Lily was able to escape from the Alpha just in time to witness this miracle. For a moment, her heart had stopped thinking that she might be too late, but seeing the flying mechanism saving Szandra's life was definitely a sight worthy of a pray.

She followed the drone's movement for a bit, but her emerald gaze soon got focused on the new arrival standing at the edge of this clearing. A girl was standing there with a shaking body, as if she had just made a choice that was not supposed to be. Determination took seat behind those spectacles, hiding deep within the icy blue eyes. The will to save a life.

Judging from the weird equipment that was tied around her forearm, it was she, who issued the drone its commands.

The flying machine circled around Szandra, keeping the vile creatures at bay. It was good and all, but they were still heavily outnumbered, and the drone's firearm was not exactly enough to kill a Grimm. Although, one or two did die from a lucky shot.

Much to Lily's surprise - and relief -, another person has walked out from the cover of the treeline. The fourth girl took elegant steps forward, not at all bothered by this situation. Her crimson red hair danced along with the wind, as she walked up to her partner.

"Well, I guess you have made your choice, after all..." she grinned, patting the bespectacled girl on the shoulder, who was most surprised by this advance. 'Let us see the will to change their fate'. Her friend boldly went against the clear order of the hand holding her in place, and in doing so, soundly passed the secret test of character. Time for a reward! "I'll take it over from here."

The redhead then walked forward, with an odd and eerily calm atmosphere surrounding her. The Grimm in turn all looked at the girl dressed in red, feeling this spike of negativity emanating from within. Curious of this new encounter, they each took a few steps towards her slender figure. Now in the center of attention, surrounded, the strange girl at last stopped. She unsheathed her weapons, a pair of twin-daggers, and raised her crossed arms above her head with graceful motion. Her red eyes then met with the emerald gaze afar, and then she spoke out, addressing Lily in the distance.

"Answer that: Would you dance on the edge of Life and Death?"

To be Continued...