Hey guys! I'm updating earlier than usual because I need to tell you something! Long story short, a group of friends and I are going to RTX, BUT we have an extra ticket. It's totally FREE, the catch? The knowledge that it won't go to waste, because I know some of you would kill to be there. I've updated early to give you a heads up, so hopefully you'll have time to message me and get things sorted out. Anyways, just PM me for details, because I REALLY don't want this ticket to go to waste when someone can go and have a blast!
Over a month passed since Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang washed up on the beach of their own private island. Not only were the girls surviving, they were thriving.
By now, they had a general direction of where certain things on the desolate island were located. They knew that most of the predators were concentrated in the center of the island, and that the best place to stay was near the outer rim. They could read the weather patterns simply from feeling the temperature in the air and observing the cloud formations. Their little group had become almost entirely self-sufficient.
Ruby was their beacon of hope, never letting a depressing situation get the better of them. She couldn't stand her friends being sad and cheered them up the best she could. She and Blake worked well as a team, catching the fish for their meals.
Weiss was the most skilled with weapons in the group. Her father's early lessons had taught her everything from simple knives to wielding the battle axe. She has been proven to be the one most fearful of anyone dying, going to extreme lengths to make sure that doesn't happen. She's also in charge of Nora the sloth's needs and allows her friends to take turns holding the gentle creature.
Blake was the most knowledgeable of the group. She inspected any food they brought in, only allowing them to only eat certain foods. If the food was questionable, they ditched it completely and ate only the things they knew were safe and not poisonous. Her general background knowledge and love for the wild allowed her to provide information whenever they explored.
Yang had taken the role of the provider. Whenever the group caught an animal to eat, she would do the dirty work and prepare it for a meal. She was also the most protective person of the bunch, refusing to let anyone out of her sight in certain situations. Always on top of things, and the one who made sure the S.O.S. fire was burning brightly at all times.
The four sported serious tans, now used to the sun's rays. They had plenty of weapons and supplies gathered by this point, ready to be used in case of an emergency.
After being stranded on the island for so long, the group had grown close. There was no doubt that they would each take a bullet for each other by this point, no matter how terrifying the situation may be.
"Brrah!"
Blake smiled and pet the sloth that was wrapped around her neck. "No wonder Weiss likes you so much. You're pretty light, cute, fluffy, sweet and cute… did I say cute?"
Nora the sloth rubbed her neck against Blake's cheek. "Brrah!"
Yang sighed. "Does Nora like everyone but me?"
"I guess we'll see later if she craps on Blake," Ruby snickered from the memory of Yang panicking when the sloth pooped on her shoulder.
"Have you guys found anything yet?!" Weiss called from a distance.
"Not yet!" Ruby shouted back. "Yang's sulking about the sloth again!"
The faunus heard Weiss say. "Typical brute," under her breath as she continued flipping over leaves in search of food.
They were scavenging for berries for about an hour by this point. The trees allowed no sun's rays to enter the jungle, and they were relieved for that. Eating fish all the time got a little tiring, so they decided to gather as much berries as possible and keep a stash hidden in their fort.
The four explored cautiously, careful not to disturb the seemingly quiet jungle. They made it a rule to never go back in the wilderness without a weapon, each carrying their own spears and back up knives. Since this was unknown territory, they made sure to stick close together.
"I found some!" Weiss called.
The three rushed over and Blake took the berry to inspect it. "Clear," she popped the delectable orb in her mouth.
Ruby was practically drooling from the fruity deliciousness. "I want to smother them in a sandwich and take it to school!"
Yang chuckled. "Can you imagine? Someone questioning you like: where'd you get those epic berries, Ruby?" she made her voice more high-pitched to mimic her sister. "Oh, nowhere special, just the deserted island I was stranded on."
Ruby ate a few more while giggling. "These are one of a kind!"
"Brrah!" the sloth squealed.
"Yeesh," Yang looked at the sloth. "You sure are restless today."
"Brrah! Brrah!" Nora continued yelping.
Blake noticed that the animal was shuddering, as if she was terrified of something. Her cat ears twitched to scan their surroundings, now more cautious.
Weiss looked at the two imploringly. "What's wrong, Nora?"
"Brrah! Brrah! Brrrrrrah!" Nora slowly tilted her head to the tree tops.
The group looked up and saw a monkey, and a small one at that. The sun created a silhouette against the foliage.
"It's a baby," Blake observed. "Be quiet."
The girls obeyed and watched the monkey slink its way to the ground. Its eyes never left the four as it hopped over to the bushes and greedily picked a few berries.
"Aw…" the blonde mumbled. "The little asshole is taking our food…"
They began backing away slowly with their weapons in hand, not sure if the monkey felt threatened or not.
The monkey took a whiff of the bush the four had been picking earlier and hissed.
Weiss' eyes widened. "Does it not like us?"
"It's our scent," Blake informed. "That was probably his bush before and we took some of his food."
Ruby stifled a laugh. "Hehe bush."
Weiss jabbed Ruby in the ribs with her elbow, eliciting a grunt. "Now's not the time."
The monkey picked another berry and let out a menacing screech, knowing its territory had been violated by humans. It turned its head back to the four girls, getting on all fours, swaying back and forth in an attempt to make itself look bigger.
"We need to go," Blake demanded. "Now."
"You don't have to say it twice," Yang whispered, eyes firmly on the animal.
The four continued backing away with their weapons in the monkey's view in a silent attempt to convince it not to attack.
However, that made things worse when the animal screeched even louder, its pointy daggers called teeth in plain view.
"Brrah!" Nora screeched. "Brrah!"
Their eyes went wide when they heard more rustling in the bushes and trees above them. The noise struck fear in their hearts. Deep down they knew what was happening.
"No one move," the faunus whispered.
The girls froze in their tracks, eyes darting to the trees. Dozens of bigger monkeys lurked on the branches, their faces wore pissed off scowls.
Little did they know, the little monkey called its clan to back him up in the encounter. They were now staring down the girls like gangbusters.
Ruby held back a gasp. "Wh-what do we do?"
"Back away slowly," the faunus muttered. "And lower the spears."
The faunus knew that the shoreline was a little ways away, but if they needed to, they could hopefully make it to the ocean unharmed.
The three obeyed her command, each step was agonizing as the stand-off persisted. The monkey's clan was attempting to protect one of their own, so Blake had hoped that they wouldn't see them as a threat if they calmly took their leave.
Nora was deathly still around Blake's neck, causing her to be more anxious. The sloth usually had such a laid back attitude, so if this was scaring her…
The little monkey that found the bush screeched once more, calling to initiate the attack.
The clan leaped out of the trees, hissing at their prey.
"Run!" Blake yelped as she turned around to bolt away.
Ruby, Yang and Weiss quickly followed and sprinted through the jungle, careful not to trip on any straying vines while the horde viciously snarled and chased them.
Blake however, was too focused on getting away, intent to not let the sloth get hurt. She ended up tripping on a large rock and slammed to the ground with a yelp.
"Blake!" Yang screamed when she realized a monkey was vastly approaching the downed girl.
Ruby was the fastest and jumped in front of Blake, impaling the monkey that had lunged itself at the easy target. Yang kept running towards the two, but Weiss made it there before her and swooped in to grab Blake's hand, helping her up. The faunus quickly found her footing and the four bolted.
The horde spent the time catching up to the girls, now just to the side of them, leaping in the trees while snarling, intent on massacring them. A monkey lunged at Yang, but Weiss was quicker, throwing her wooden knife with sheer precision as it struck its brain while it was in mid-leap, causing the animal to drop dead on the forest floor.
"Th-thanks princess!" Yang shouted as they continued running.
Weiss broke out of a combat stance and was silent, too focused on the surrounding horde.
Another tiny monkey was faster than the rest of the clan, easily catching up to grab Ruby's foot. She slightly lost her balance, but thankfully her sister was nearby and viciously kicked the wild animal, punting it in the bushes.
"Almost there!" Blake shouted.
Ruby ran next to her. "Get in the ocean!"
They were still in the jungle, but could see the shore behind the tree line's cover. Knowing it was their safe haven, they picked up the pace if that was even possible. The ocean's tides kept rocking, as if it was calling to the group to hurry.
Weiss purposefully darted into a set of particularly thick branches that blocked their path. Once behind them, she yanked them back and let the branches swing forwards, effectively knocking a few of the closest monkeys on the ground, leaving them in a daze.
Now behind the group, she sprinted after them as they all escaped the forest they now called a death trap. The four dashed across shore to the ocean.
About ten monkeys dared leaped out of the jungle, chasing the slowest target.
In Ruby's peripheral vision, she saw a monkey dangerously close to Weiss as she tried to pick up the pace, panting for breath.
The brunette had a plan in mind and yelled. "Weiss! Jump to the left!"
The white-haired girl obeyed and completely changed course, abruptly stomping her foot in the sand and jumped to the side and tumbled.
The monkey was caught off guard and slid in the sand, attempting to follow its target as it lost friction.
During that time, Ruby had pulled out her wooden knife and shot it at the animal. By then, Weiss had gotten up and ran to the ocean to join Blake and Yang, who were already treading water.
The monkey screeched in pain from the knife being impaled in its side. Ruby felt awful for causing it harm and not an immediate kill-shot, but she saw the oncoming horde and joined her friends in the ocean.
The remaining clan stopped at the shoreline, screeching at the girls and paced back and forth.
"I-is everyone okay?" Yang asked.
"Yep!" Ruby said, still shaken up from the ordeal. "That was scary."
"Brrah!" the sloth agreed, now more calm after getting away from the primates.
"Looks like they're giving up," Weiss pointed. "Look."
The horde snarled one last time and headed back into the jungle, taking a devastating blow from their losses. The animal Ruby had impaled tried to teeter behind the group, but dropped on the sand, lifeless with the knife sticking out of its skin.
The clan ignored one of the fallen and disappeared in the jungle.
Yang clenched her jaw. "This place is brutal."
"Survival of the fittest," Blake chimed, although not proud of what happened. "I guess that one could be our meal for today since we didn't get many berries…"
Sensing it was okay to go back on land, Yang swam in front of the group. "Those god damned monkeys think they own the place."
"Technically they do," Weiss deadpanned.
"Shut up," the blonde said in a teasing tone. "I didn't want to hurt them… they were so cute."
Now on land, Ruby hugged her sister.
"Says the girl who punted that monkey one hundred feet away," Ruby laughed.
Yang ruffled her sister's hair. "Hey, he deserved that. I didn't want to do it, but no one hurts my baby sister. Not even a cute, little… vicious monkey."
Weiss smiled at the sister's embrace. "I know this is the worst possible time to say this, but I want, no, need a bath."
Blake grimaced. "Nora feels gross on my neck. The salt water feels nasty."
"Here," Ruby held out her hands. "I'll take her."
Blake unwrapped the sloth and handed her over to Ruby.
Ruby happily set Nora on her shoulders. "Haha, you do feel gross."
"Brrah!"
"Are you saying you want to go back in there!?" Yang exclaimed, taken aback by what they were saying. "Are you crazy?!"
"We can take a different route," Ruby suggested. "We'll take the long way, on the other side of the island."
"You want to also?!" Yang yelped. "Am I the only sane one here? We almost died!"
Weiss put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll go a different way. Plus," she lifted Yang's ponytail and removed a tiny stick. "You could use a bath too."
Lilac and cerulean eyes met, with Yang in a daze at the girl's beauty.
Ruby's jaw dropped at the sight. Yang purposefully allowed Weiss to touch her hair and even blushed from the contact. Yang would be mad if even her sister touched her hair. The brunette could only count on one hand how many times she was allowed to brush the flowing golden locks.
Blake smirked at the sight and nudged Ruby. "Jealous?"
"Uh, yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "What the heck? She won't even let me let me do that and I'm her sister."
Blake's smirk turned into a knowing grin. "This is different."
"How?"
"You'll see. Sooner or later…" the faunus mumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Seeing Ruby so curious made Blake chuckle a bit. "Be patient," she put a reassuring hand on her head.
Ruby's silver eyes stared lovingly at Blake. "Guess I'll have to."
"So what's the plan?" Yang asked the three.
"All in favor of taking a different route, say 'I,'" Ruby beamed.
Blake smiled. "It seems efficient."
"I suppose it will be fine," Weiss chimed.
"Looks like majority rules," Yang mumbled.
"Aw," Ruby was downcast. "None of you said 'I.'"
The four plus Nora walked around the outer rim of the island, careful to avoid the monkey troop. They never left the shoreline and when they knew it was safe, walked in the jungle with their spears at the ready.
After whacking some annoying vines out of their path for several minutes and avoiding deep mud puddles created from the downpours, the river was in sight.
The girls crouched down, scanning the perimeter for predators.
"Is it clear?" Ruby asked.
"Seems like it," Yang replied. "I'll go first to make sure."
Ruby didn't want her sister to put herself in harm's way, but knew Yang would argue if she tried to stop her. So she reluctantly allowed her sister to leave the tree's protective cover.
The blonde smacked the wooden spear against the a nearby rock, creating a loud thump. A few birds flew out of their nests in the trees above, but the area was clear of any predators lurking near the freshwater river.
"It's clear!" she called back to the three.
The girls left the dense forest and entered the water, feeling instant relief as the coolness washed over them.
"Ahhhhh," Blake groaned as she floated on her back. "This feels so good."
Ruby gently trickled some water on the sloth's head as she tread water. "We needed this."
Weiss happily swam next to Yang. "Aren't you glad we did this, Yang?"
Yang stared at Weiss' wry grin. "Yeah, yeah."
The blonde never liked admitting she was wrong, but didn't mind if it was Weiss who did exactly that.
Ruby sighed contently and ran her fingers through her wet hair. "Ahhh…"
"Woah, Rubes," Yang gasped. "Your hair's longer!"
"Well yeah," Ruby replied knowingly. "It's not like I can cut it regularly while we're stuck here."
Blake smiled. "Long or short, it looks good," she said genuinely.
The comment caused Ruby to blush. "T-thanks Blake."
"Weiss!" Yang called. "You're gonna have to make Rubes an honorary vine hair tie!"
"It's not that much longer, Yang!" Ruby chirped.
The brunette was right, it wouldn't be considered long by any standards, but her hair was certainly longer than when they first shipwrecked. Just passed her shoulders.
"If you put it up now, it wouldn't be a nub!" Yang beamed.
For some reason, Blake always enjoyed the image of a nub on Ruby's head and bursted into laughter.
Weiss came back up from the water to get some air. "I'll make her one when we get back."
"Brrah!"
"Aw," Weiss cooed. "Do you want one too, Nora?"
Ruby pet the sloth that was on her shoulder lovingly. "She does."
"Brrah! Brrah! Brrah!"
"Jeez," Yang chimed. "She's sure excited about a stupid hair tie."
Suddenly, an idea popped in Ruby's head, and she covered her eyes with her hand. "Marco!"
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ruby, we're not playing-"
"Polo!" Yang shouted as she hid behind Weiss. "Come find me, Ruby!"
The blind Ruby started to move toward Weiss, her hands out in front of her, trying to find her sister. As Ruby approached, Weiss took a deep breath and sunk underwater, leaving Yang without her human shield.
Ruby lunged forward and tagged Yang in the shoulder. "Gotcha!"
"Alright, Weiss I'm comin' for ya!" Yang laughed before closing her eyes. "Marco!"
Weiss resurfaced and shook the water out of her face. "Yang, that's not how you're supposed to play the game!"
Upon hearing Weiss' voice, Yang lunged toward it with both hands outstretched. "Gotcha!"
Before Yang felt anything, Weiss had silently went under the water again. The blonde was confused when she ended up grabbing air. "Wh-where'd she go?!"
Yang opened her eyes and saw Blake and Ruby whispering to each other in the distance, but no Weiss.
"You can't open your eyes, Yang!" Ruby pointed accusingly. "That's cheating!"
"But where is she?!" Yang yelped, searching all directions for a glimmer of white.
Blake and Ruby snickered in delight when they saw white hair breach the surface directly behind Yang.
"Why're you laugh-"
"Polo!" Weiss shouted and pressed her hand forcefully on top of Yang's head.
This caused the blonde to be dunked underwater, with Weiss huffing in victory.
Yang swiftly drifted up and gasped for breath. She turned around and saw Weiss' smirk.
"Are you tryin' to kill me!?" Yang yelped.
"That's what you get for being an annoyance," Weiss huffed.
"Oh, I'm an annoyance?" Yang pointed to herself. "I see how it is," she splashed some water on the girl while laughing.
Weiss shrieked playfully and shielded her face from the water assault.
"Brrah! Brrah!"
"That's right, Nora!" Weiss shouted over Yang's splashing. "The brute is trying to kill me!"
"Brrah! Brrah!"
"Jeez, we get it!" Yang said and stopped splashing. "You like Weiss. Chill out, will ya?"
"Brrah!"
"Nora's trying to warn us! Look," Ruby pointed toward the shoreline. "A crocodile!"
Further in the distance, lying on the mud, was a giant crocodile basking in the water's freshness.
"And we're leaving," the faunus chuckled. "We aren't taking on that mammoth."
"Thanks for warning us, Nora," Weiss said.
Yang looked over at the reptile. "Holy shit, that thing's a monster!"
"Which is why we're leaving," Ruby grabbed her sister's arm as they swam in a different direction.
The crocodile clearly saw the girls, but didn't mind too much, as it was content with just sitting there. They didn't want to take and chances and swam in the opposite direction. Once on land, they decided to head back to shore, where they would eat the monkey Ruby had killed earlier.
After their journey back to the shore, Ruby set the fire to prepare the meal while Yang cut open the monkey so they could cook it. By this point, the sun was setting for another day, and they were a bit saddened that they weren't rescued.
"Cheer up, guys!" Ruby said in her enduringly cheery voice. "We'll get rescued sooner or later!"
"The question is when," Weiss sighed. "I hope it's soon. I need to see my father… If he's still alive."
Yang put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her in this field as she always did. "He is. He has to be."
Weiss remained silent and let the crackling fire answer for her.
It was hard to hold onto hope after being stuck on the island for so long. However, one thing always kept her going as she stared at the sky. The moon had never changed and was beaming brightly, even in the orange glare.
Hey dad, Weiss thought while gazing at the moon. I'm holding onto hope. I hope you're alive and well like me, even though this is an... undesirable situation.
Blake took a sip of water from her leaf-cup. "Can we just take a moment to thank Nora?"
Ruby pet the sloth that was around her neck. "First the monkey troop, then the crocodile? You're a lifesaver."
"Brrah!"
"I hate to admit it but," Yang said. "We couldn't have made it this far without her."
Nora stared at Yang happily, seemingly content with the statement.
"Notice how Nora didn't crap on Ruby," Blake stated. "Or me."
"Shut up, Blakey," the blonde replied irritably. "We all know Nora hates me."
"Brrah," the sloth yelped calmly, as if rejecting the statement.
"Aw, you might love me after all!" Yang's mood improved.
"She's too nice to hate anyone," Ruby handed the sloth some leaves, then fiddled with her new ponytail. "See? It's not a nub."
Yang rolled her eyes after chewing on the monkey meat. "It would have been several weeks ago."
"Whatever!" Ruby replied. "I liked it better when it was shorter."
Blake's gaze never left Ruby's now flowing hair, making sure to carefully admire it. "It looks cute," she looked at the sand, her face burning, and mouth grinning after making the comment.
"T-thanks Blake," Ruby was slightly caught off guard, but could tell the compliment was genuine.
Ruby smiled and ate another piece of meat. "Don't you all feel better after going to the river?"
"Hell yes," Yang chimed. "Mama's baby is so clean," she grabbed her ponytail and nuzzled it, proud of how thick it had gotten.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Still, I'd like to use some actual soap for once."
Ruby laughed. "I'm taking the longest bath of my life when we get outta here."
A sudden breeze picked up, with clouds looming in the distance.
"Another storm," the blonde smiled. "How about an all natural shower?"
Blake put down her leaf-plate. "You guys can do that, but I'm heading inside," the faunus got up and took her leave.
A few droplets descended from the sky, creating a pleasant light drizzle.
Weiss' gaze never left Blake's back as she went inside the fort.
Yang noticed this. "What's up, princess?"
Weiss shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Come on, Weiss," Ruby started. "You think we haven't noticed you staring at Blake all this time?"
Weiss narrowed her eyes. Was it that obvious?
Ruby continued. "D-do you have a crush on her?"
"What?! No!" Weiss frantically replied.
Yang was glad that wasn't the case."Then what is it?" she asked, curiosity peaked.
"I keep thinking she looks familiar," Weiss confided. "That's all."
The drizzle got powerful enough to kill the fire as it slowly died out.
"Strange," Yang held her chin in thought. "You haven't told her this?"
"No," Weiss said. "I keep trying to think of where I've seen her before, but always come up blank. It couldn't have seen her since I've lived on Never More majority of my life."
"Where'd you live before that?" Ruby asked.
"Atlas," the white-haired girl answered.
"That cold place?" Yang asked. "Huh… I guess it suits you."
Weiss scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means-"
Ruby cut her off. "You know, Blake used to live there a long time ago… before her parents died. Maybe you really did see her at some point."
Weiss was in deep thought. Maybe… but wouldn't I remember a cat faunus around the same age as me? I lived there when I was so young.
Ruby put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll think of it sooner or later. And when you do, we'll be here."
"Brrah!"
Weiss smiled. "Thank you, Ruby, Yang... Nora."
"No problem, princess," the blonde grinned. "Now come on, let's get inside."
Message me if you're even remotely interested about the free ticket for RTX!