The hours ticked by with frustratingly little progress. Weiss had been through every single book twice and found nothing. She gave a disappointed sigh and closed another book, glancing over to her teammate. Blake was sitting on the edge of the table, an enormous ornate tome laying across her lap. She was flipping through the pages at speed, rapidly skimming across the text in a focused manner. Her scroll was laying beside her, its screen dimmed from lack of use. There was a subtle sense of enthusiasm in the air, Weiss could feel it. Blake was almost excited, but for what reasons remained to be seen.
"Nothing. There is nothing in any of these books that even hints to an 'Umbra'. Are you sure that's what we should be searching for?" She asked, somewhat agitated. Blake turned her head slightly to look at her teammate in the corner of her eye.
"Yes. That's what this is." She pushed the scroll towards Weiss, who pulled it towards her and rotated it, tapping the screen to wake it up. Her eyes widened in brief alarm at the sight before her.
"That's the thing that we saw, the thing that chased us! That's an Umbra?" Blake gave a small nod.
"Like the Deathstalkers, they're incredibly old and very rare, there's only been a handful of recorded sightings. This one wasn't around until recently, so it's probably come from its old territory." She turned another page, disregarding it as worthless and carrying on with her search.
"But why?" Weiss inquired, taking in the picture in front of her. "This looks like a drawing, but it doesn't match any of the ones I've seen in these books. How did you get this?"
"I borrowed Rubys sketchbook. She was drawing this earlier before she slept. I knew she'd want to show Ozpin exactly what she saw, and this was it. This doesn't look like any other Umbra, so it's safe to assume that it isn't from this area."
Weiss's brow furrowed as she bit her lip, fighting the urge to challenge the moral faults in Blakes actions.
"Okay, so what is it? It's not like any of the other Grimm I've seen."
"It's a superpredator. Like the Nevermore, it's always at the top of the food chain. It uses its size and speed to disable prey before they can retaliate. That way, it doesn't risk being injured. You saw what it did. There was no way it would have been able to attack if the Nevermore was in the air, the reason you've never seen it before is because they live in very secluded areas." Blake kept her voice steady, but she could feel her body shaking with memories.
"How do you know all this?" Weiss narrowed her eyes a little, questioning Blakes knowledge of the subject. If they were as rare as Blake claimed, then there couldn't be any other way for her to know. Nothing in the library, and Weiss guessed it was much the same story everywhere else. They were largely unknown to the general populace, even through childrens stories and legends, so just how can one teenager have all this knowledge about something as scarce as this? The other girl lowered her head a little, her mouth twisting into a pained smile that was barely noticeable.
"Let's just say I have experience." Weiss opened her mouth to keep going, but Blake silenced her with a hard stare. She closed the book with a bang, placed it on the table beside her and rose, forcing herself to keep her voice steady.
"Time to go. Ruby will be awake soon, and we can't risk raising her suspicions." She made her way back towards the open door, leaving Weiss to put the books back herself. The heiress held off on pursuing the matter, beating her curiosity back down. She stood up, gathering the books around her into a neat pile. She began the task of putting them back in the right place, soundlessly turning over the possibilities in her head. As much as she wanted to ask, she knew that it would only harm them both more than she could bring herself to do. There was something in Blakes voice that refused to leave her thoughts alone. Just for that moment, her voice sounded hollow, as though her facade was false. It didn't seem right.
The door clicked back into place with a neat tick as Blake finished her task, clearing the counter for the final time in one bound. Weiss was placing the last few books back on the shelves, and Blake contented herself with the knowledge she had learned. What she would do from here would not be easy, but she knew that it was something she would have to do regardless of anything else. She scooped up her scroll in one hand as she left, with Weiss following close behind. Blake noted that she seemed unusually subdued.
Neither of them spoke on the journey back, nor did they say anything as they approached the dormroom door. Blake immediately settled herself on her bed with a book in hand as they entered, while Weiss knelt beside Rubys bulging bag, rummaging through the assortment of items as quietly as she could. She pulled a worn sketchpad from the mess, its edges frayed with excessive use. She placed it on the desk and turned on the light, skipping the vast amount of illustrations and sketches that littered every spare space. Her hand stopped upon the first empty page and she turned it back once. It was exactly the same as the photo Blake had shown her, Ruby really had drawn the creature that they had fought. Weiss imprinted it on her memory, hearing shuffling sheets behind her as one of the two adjusted their position. She counted herself lucky that they had made it back before either of the sisters had awoke, and somewhat that she had investigated Blakes absence when she did.
Blake lay on her bed, trying to distract herself with the story in front of her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shift her thoughts from the disturbing memories she harboured inside. They taunted her every night, reminding her of the coward she really was. Time and time again she tried to block them out, but they always came back. Who was she trying to fool? They were right, she could have prevented everything. But instead she hid, too afraid to face her fears. She was nothing more than a frightened rabbit, fleeing from her past.
For so long she had told herself that it wasn't her fault, that there was nothing she could have done. She knew she was only lying to herself, but she didn't care. How could she have known? Nobody saw it coming, not until it was too late. She was dimly aware of a single tear rolling down her cheek, reminding her of how broken she had become. Her entire body quivered, doubts preying on her fragile emotions. She tried so hard to lie, to show everyone she was alright. They all thought of her as indifferent, none of them knew how difficult it was for her to sleep at night, forever haunted by the dreams she feared so much.
They were always changing, hounding every corner of her mind. There was always a pain that she couldn't escape, no matter where she ran. Sorrow wracked her body endlessly, tears streaming down her face. Desperation settled in her heart as she reached out, too paralyzed to move. She watched in horror as it arrived in the darkness, ending their lives one by one. The people she had cared about the most were always taken from her regardless of how hard she tried to protect them. Despair tore through her voice as she screamed in silence, her eyes wide with panic. It didn't matter what she did. She wasn't strong enough.
Her attention snapped back into the present with a start, hearing a suffering moan carry across the air. Immediately there was movement above as Yang practically fell off her bunk, rushing to her sisters side. She held Rubys hand in both of hers as Weiss came to the injured girls aid. They both neglected to notice the damp line running down Blakes face. She wiped it with the back of her hand and closed her book, thinking it best to concentrate on somebody who mattered. Rubys face was visibly twisted in a grim expression, she was in severe pain. Her words came out mumbled, her consciousness not fully active.
"Leg...hurts..." She weakly pointed to her knee, just able to raise her arm. Yang pulled the covers back forcefully gently pressing her sisters thigh. Ruby shook her head faintly as Yang moved further down, her face full of concern. Weiss sat on the edge of the bed, cradling Rubys head on her chest and holding her hand as Yang worked her way towards the knee. The groans of agony rang through the room, bouncing off the walls. They reminded Blake of something she did not want to remember. She watched her partners face harden in worry as Yang squeezed Rubys knee. Ruby gave a small nod, and Blake could see that it didn't look natural.
Blake and Weiss both left to the bathroom at Yangs request, understanding that she'd want privacy as she changed Ruby into less obstructing clothes. Unease filled Weiss's eyes and voice as she spoke, barely loud enough for Blake to hear.
"It's broken, isn't it?" She was trembling. Blake nodded, wearing a solemn face.
"It looks that way." She didn't need to say anything else, the growing fear in Weiss's voice chilled her to the bone.
"Will she be alright?"
"I don't know."
Neither spoke again, the only action between them being Blake putting a reassuring hand on Weiss's shoulder. They both turned their heads at a call from outside, Yang had finished. Blake allowed Weiss to go first, leaving the door ajar as they made their way back to the bed. Ruby was now in her sleepwear, one of her pant legs rolled up to her mid-thigh. The sight of her knee brought an uneasy feeling into Weiss's stomach, there was a swollen bulge where the bone had slipped out of place, the skin discoloured in shades of purple and blue. Yang moved her fingers extremely tenderly, touching the area around the knee to determine where the pain stopped. Ruby gave feeble moans, barely able to move her head. Her teeth were gritted and her eyes closed, reminding Blake of how fragile humans were.
Yang nodded her head once and covered the injury, standing to her feet and sliding her arms underneath Rubys neck and legs. She lifted her sister into her arms and eased her into position, speaking with a voice that awed them both.
"Get the blankets, I'm taking her to the infirmary." Weiss nodded, gathering as many as she could under her arm. Blake took one look into Yangs eyes and knew what her partner was about to ask. She dipped her head in acknowledgement, opening the door for Yang and giving her a clear path out. Weiss followed close behind, leaving Blake to collect the first aid supplies they kept in the dorm for immediate use. She grabbed them in one hand, running a quick check before heading out, closing the door as she left. The care that Yang displayed for Ruby was unlike any Blake had ever seen before, it ran deeper than just being siblings. Yang treated Ruby as the most important thing in her life, even moreso than her own, and Blake took comfort in that fact.