The forest was illuminated by the almost full moon shining through the gaps in the trees. The leaves gently swayed in the chilly mid-October breeze. The girl was named Cleo, and she was going to die.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as she ran for her life, her aching feet leaving a trail of blood as sharp rocks and sticks carved up her legs, tearing at her clothes, too thin for this time of year.

Her heavy breathing and the blood pounding in her ears were all encompassing, making it hard to hear her surroundings.

The young woman tripped, landing in the dirt. Pain burst in her knee and she gave a small cry, all she could manage in her exhausted state, and the pain in her leg took away from the burning in her lungs. She managed to crawl over behind a large, fallen tree, and pulled up her dress. Blood was gushing from her knee.

"Oh God," she sobbed. Ripping up her already tattered skirt, she made a makeshift bandage from the dirty rags and tried to stand, the pain almost unbearable. She pushed herself to her sore feet and started to limp off, adrenaline and fear pushing her through the agony. She had to make it back to town.

The crack of a stick breaking sounded through the woods like a shot from a gun in front of her and she froze, eyes widening as she stared ahead. The moon disappeared behind a cloud and the woods was suddenly, terribly dark.

She sobbed, looking around. "Oh God, oh God," She fell to her knees, muffling a scream as she hit her injured knee. She collapsed onto her elbows, clasping her hands together. She began to mutter.

"I pray to the elder brother and ask that he protect me in my time of peril, protect me from the darkness and help me find my way home, please protect my family from the pain of death and keep us safe in your light in my darkest hour-"

Another stick broke behind her and her voice quivered. She looked up, still praying.

"Please, please brother help me find my way back to my village, show me that path,"

As soon as she finished speaking the moon came back out from the cloud and the wind stopped. She strained her eyes and ears and heard the sounds she had literally been praying for.

"Cleo! Cleo!"

She could hear the voices calling her name. With a burst of energy and hope she lurched forward, pushing her pain deep down and running as fast as she could towards the sound.

She could see the dirt road between two large trees and ran for it, hearing the voices grow louder and louder. If she could just make it to the road, she could call out to them. She would be safe; The Elder Brother had heard her!

She was just a few metres from the tree line. She could do this.

Summoning all her energy, she burst forward, breaking through the trees and taking a deep breath, ready to scream out.

It was the last breath she ever took.

"HE-"

Pain erupted from her neck, stinging and sharp, as the wire cut through her voice as it had through her pale skin. She fell to the dirt, clutching her throat as the blood gushed through her fingers. She gasped, feeling the warm fluid ooze down her chest.

Through the pain and shock, she could hear footsteps coming up behind her. She felt hands pulling off her belt, taking her money purse. The voices got further and further away. The hope inside her extinguished.

"Help," She gasped weakly. Something moved in the corner of her vision and she saw someone, a girl, kneel in front of her. She slipped her hand into Cleo's hair and jerked her head back, getting blood on her face. Cleo looked at her, watching her raise a dagger. The figure pushed it into her neck, and the last thing Cleo ever felt was the cold blade parting her skin.

Serene didn't go back to the tribe that night. She sat in a tree until the sun rose over the forest, trying not to look at the discarded body hidden in the hollow, fallen log behind her. She could see her pale, lifeless face in the gaps through the rotting wood.

The sun had cast a pink light over her before her hands stopped shaking. She'd spent the night in a state of constant turmoil, before shutting herself down and slipping away. She was jerked back by the rustling of feathers.

"Is that her?"

"No," Serene said, rolling her eyes. She was surprised with how strong her voice was, "I found another dead body and decided to watch over it all night. Didn't want anything to happen to it."

Raven pulled off her Grimm mask, raising an eyebrow at her. She looked back at the body of the young woman.

"How did you do it?"

"Chased her from the North-East path, lured her into a wire strung between the trees and cut her throat." Serene answered hollowly. She knew Raven had been watching, she just wanted her to face the reality of what she had done.

"Good work. Come on, let's get back."

Serene frowned at her as she stood on the branch. "We're just going to leave her there?"

"Did you want to bury her?" Raven asked condescendingly.

"Won't it be suspicious if the villagers find a dead body? People were looking for her last night. Won't it attract policemen or huntsmen?"

"What are they going to do about it?" Raven asked rhetorically, opening a portal. "People die in bandit territory all the time." She stepped through the warping passageway and Serene stood, stepping back to the tribe.

"So, she finally did it huh?"

Serene glared over at Vernal, following Raven into her tent.

"The hunt was successful," Raven confirmed. Serene got a few mild praises – the general consensus of the bandits being disbelief and congratulations – but she didn't pay them any attention, just heading inside the tent. She sat with Raven who was making a pot of coffee. She poured Serene a cup, but the younger woman didn't drink, instead she meandered around the room in an attempt to keep some distance. She felt sick, and the smell of the coffee made her stomach turn.

"How did you find it?"

"I don't know. How am I supposed to answer that? 'It was super fun mom'." She finished sarcastically.

Raven raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from her cup. Vernal had stolen the set for her a few years ago. "It's better when it's hot."

Serene waited a moment before walking over and sitting opposite her mother. It's better when it's hot. Translation; sit down and shut up.

"Your first planned kill is important, and we've left it late as it is," Raven said, putting down her tea.

"Why can't I just stick with stealth? I'm good at it."

"Because being stealthy isn't always going to save you. You're going to the academy to learn how to kill huntsmen; there's no point in sending you if you can't kill a single random villager."

"She didn't do anything to us. I can kill in self-defence."

"That's not good enough. Only the strong can survive in this world. The weak die so the strong can survive. Every time you kill someone, you're deciding what side of that line you're on."

"I know," Serene said softly. She'd heard the spiel a hundred times and it hit her every time.

"You're strong," Raven said, leaning forward and meeting her eye. "I'm trying to prepare you, so you aren't the one lying dead on the forest floor. Do you understand?"

Serene nodded, the visual making her skin crawl. "Yes."

"Good. Go wash up; you have sparring with Vernal this afternoon."

Serene nodded and stood, leaving her rapidly cooling tea on the table, and her mother, with a headful of doubts, in the tent.

Serene dived into the black water of the nearby creek in her underwear, feeling the cold water burst around her. It woke her up and refreshed her like a jumpstart. She broke the surface and pushed back her dark hair. She swam around for a while, floating in the water and slipping back into her fantasy.

She lived alone in a sparse forest, in a wooden cabin. A real house rather than a small tent behind Raven's. She got to do normal things like go to school and do shopping. She didn't have a job. She got to read. There was no blood on her hands.

Snapping back to reality, Serene pushing herself under water, swimming as deep as she could before her lungs began to burn before shooting back up. Climbing onto the rocky shore she grabbed her clothes, walking back to the water and began scrubbing with a bar of soap, trying to get the blood out. It wasn't too bad; her clothes were mostly black, but it was the smell that got to her. She scrubbed until her hands were red and she hung it up to dry before diving back in.

Training with Vernal kicked her ass. It had been a lot easier before Raven had banned her from using her semblance.

"Oof!"

Serene landed on her back, rolling over and grabbing the previously discarded dagger. She got to her feet and circled a smug Vernal. With her semblance Serene could take on almost anyone in the tribe, but Vernal was always so fast.

"Come on then,"

Serene burst forward, feigning a feign and taking out Vernal's legs. Serene tried to pin her down but was kicked into a nearby crate, the wood cracking behind her. Vernal was on her in a second, closer than she should have, and Serene jerked up, the blade slicing through the woman's shirt and across her ribs.

"Shit!" Vernal cried, jumping back into a crouch and glaring at Serene. Serene threw the dagger before she could steady herself and it sliced through her arm.

"You little bitch!"

"What's going on?" Raven asked, walking over to the brawlers.

"She fucking stabbed me," Vernal growled, glaring over at Serene as she climbed out of the crate.

"Really? It's about time you landed a hit." Raven seemed almost impressed. She turned to Vernal. "Go clean yourself up."

Vernal stormed off and Raven came over to Serene, yanking her to her feet.

"I'm not apologising," Serene said, glaring over at her mother's pet.

"I don't expect you too." Raven pushed Serene's hair out of her face, a look that could maybe be taken as pride on her face that warmed Serene's chest. "Good job."

"Thank you."

Raven walked off and Serene revelled in her mother's rarely given approval, walking over to her tent.

She sat down on her bed roll and rifled through her bag. She hadn't bothered unpacking properly, since they'd move camps eventually, so she sorted through the scattered clothes and pulled out her hairbrush and her pyjamas, heading back down to the river. A few others from the tribe were swimming and messing around, a few more were on the rocks cleaning their clothes. She settled down the creek behind a rock, stripping and jumping into the water. The other woman might be alright swimming with the men, but she wasn't. At sixteen her body was starting to come in, and the looks and comments she received were making her uncomfortable.

After she washed herself, she got out, drying off and dressing in her shorts and long-sleeved grey sweatshirt that had belonged to her dad. She walked back to the others and sat down in front of the mirror that had been set up and brushed her long black hair. Her curls were more prominent when it was wet. Serene braided it over her shoulder and pushed back the strands that had fallen loose and walked back to the tribe and to her tent, lying down on her bed. Rolling over, she pulled a picture from under her pillow.

The picture was of her and her dad. He was crouched down beside her, one of her little arms over his shoulder and the other holding up the first fish she'd ever caught, giving a wide, toothy grin. She was six in the picture. Dieter Havoc died in a raid when she was twelve.

She wasn't sure if she looked like her father, or if she was just desperate for any sign of him. She had his smile. At least she thought she had; it certainly wasn't Raven's.

Putting the picture back, Serene wandered if she'd be allowed to take it with her to Haven.