Behind Bars
Part Eleven: The Birds, Chapter the First
Yang stumbled forward as she ran towards D block. Another tremor rumbled through the building, accompanied by the screech of tearing metal and the sound of something heavy crashing in the distance.
Her hand flying out, Yang braced herself against the wall.
Dammit, can't even stay on my feet…
Yang's ears rang as an alarm blared to life, its wail echoing down the halls. A red light flared and pulsed. Squinting, Yang's vision swam as the colors were bleached from the room – first bleeding red and then descending into fuzzy shadows.
Reilly was somewhere ahead of her in the hall. She heard the last gate between them and D block buzz open, and half-blind she lurched through the doorway and into the Wilds.
Above, a gravelly voice coughed through the intercom system – barking out words Yang couldn't understand.
Looking around, Yang tried to find CO Reilly but he had disappeared.
"CO!" she yelled uselessly.
Around her, dozens of panicked guards swarmed the walkways of D block. Some marched towards the far end of the cellblock, weapons raised. Yang noticed that most of them were carrying pistols, but one or two had rifles braced against their shoulders.
Two guards slouched towards her, dragging another man between them. Yang's jaw dropped when she saw his stomach hanging open, his intestines dragging on the floor. The COs paid her no heed as they walked past her, still carrying their dead companion.
"AHHH!"
Somebody screamed nearby and Yang ducked as the shout exploded in her ear, raising her hand defensively over her head. Throwing herself to the floor, Yang crawled underneath an assault of red-eyed Grimm as a cackling flock of crows swooped down at her and the guards.
Razor sharp beaks nipped at her exposed skin, tearing at the flesh of her raised arm. Gritting her teeth, Yang pushed up and broke into a sprint – barreling out of the crowd of attacking Grimm.
"DIE YOU FUCKING CORVUS!" shrieked a female guard, firing a salvo of rounds into the black cloud of birds.
Several Grimm dropped out of the flock and smacked into the concrete floor – curling columns of black smoke swirling up from their dead bodies.
As Yang ran, she heard the birds squawking frantically. Looking back, she saw the swarm of Corvus redoubling their attack and the guard disappeared behind a wall of black.
Sliding to a halt, Yang turned back to help her, but before she could take a step back towards the Grimm the flock dispersed, unveiling a still body bleeding on the floor.
"No!" she yelled, sprinting to the guard's side and dropping to her knees. Flipping the CO onto her back, Yang saw that she was still breathing, but blood oozed from hundreds of small, deep cuts.
In the flash of the red emergency lights, Yang caught sight of a nearby guard.
"Help! She needs help!"
The guard turned and dashed up the stairs to the second level of D block.
"No come back!" she yelled, but Yang realized that her voice must have been lost in the cacophony of screams and sirens. Looking down, she saw that the female CO was no longer breathing.
Another quake rocked the Birdcage, shaking the floor underneath Yang. Falling forward, Yang landed heavily across the dead guard's body. Picking herself up, she saw that her clothes were covered in blood.
A deep boom echoed overhead, followed by the slithering sound of rain. Seconds later, a hail of rubble streamed down, showering over Yang's head and shoulders. Yang covered her head with her hand and pushed herself back towards the wall, seeking cover.
Further down the walkway, chunks of concrete from the walls careened down and shattered against the floor.
The vibrating from the impact slowly faded, and when the floor stopped shaking Yang crawled back to the guard. Determined, Yang grabbed the collar of the guard's shirt and, straightening up, she started to pull the guard out of the middle of the walkway.
The floor seemed to jerk violently beneath her feet and Yang nearly fell on her face, catching herself by dropping the guard and grabbing the bars of a nearby cell. Inside the cell, two women screamed and clawed at Yang, gouging her arm with deep scratches.
Hissing, Yang pulled back her arm and looked toward the sound of screeching metal. At the far end of D block by the east-facing wall, a deep hole gaped open. Outside the hole, the darkness wavered and danced. Blinking, it took Yang's eyes a moment to resolve the ruffling shadows into recognizable shapes. Slowly, she realized that what she was seeing were feathers.
It can't be…
Yang's mouth dropped open and she stared, arm hanging limply by her side. A Nevermore more than twice the size of any she'd ever seen before tore at the wall with its massive beak and gleaming talons.
It squawked madly as it tore away huge chunks of concrete, widening the hole. Swarming under its wings, a horde of Beowolves and Ursa streamed into the prison. Red eyes gleaming gleefully, the Grimm turned and attack the inmates trapped in their cells.
Several of the wolves leapt up to the second floor, but the majority started ripping at the bars on the ground level. The women unfortunate enough to be in the cells closest to the east wall screamed, shrinking back from the bars. Some shoved their bunks and their desks in front of the bars, hoping to make a barrier.
Heedless, the Grimm tore at the bars with their fangs and their claws. Yang watched as a large Ursa reared up onto its hind legs and landed with the full force of its weight on one of the cell doors.
The bars caved inward, and the women inside screamed for help. A guard tried to battle his way toward them, but Yang watched as he was cut down by a trio of Beowolves. Despite the noise and the chaos, the giant bear Grimm wouldn't be deterred from its intended target.
Panicking, one of the women slid into a defensive crouch. Instinctively her aura levels rose, her chest rising and falling with her accelerated breathing. Her cellmate crouched behind her, trying to bury herself behind their furniture.
The bear roared, pushing its snout into the cell. Metal screamed as the bars bent under its considerable weight.
Bellowing a war cry, the inmate leaped forward and lashed out at the Ursa, landing several blows around its eyes and neck. Irritated, the bear swatted at her with a heavily clawed paw. Several swipes raked across her aura.
Spiraling, the inmate fell back, clutching the sides of her head. Yang saw her mouthing the words, "NO, NO" as she fought back the rising levels of her aura. Too late, her head snapped back as the monitor electrocuted her. She crumpled to the floor, defenseless.
All the while her roommate screamed, tears streaming openly down her face. And still the Ursa tore at the bars of their cell.
Terrified, Yang watched as the bear Grimm broke through. Looking away, Yang snapped back to herself. Her hand was tugging at the guard's shirt again, slowly dragging her across the floor towards the wall.
Releasing her grip, Yang stared at her hand.
What am I doing? I can't help her now…
Shaking her head, Yang dashed up the stairs to the higher levels – racing up to where there were fewer Grimm. Barreling up the stairwell, Yang's footsteps clanged and added to the din. Grimm roared and squawked, and the giant Nevermore still tore at the wall – wailing terribly all the while.
As Yang climbed up to the third floor, she gained a better view of what was happening to D block.
Grimm still crawled in through the holes opening up in the east wall. Cracks grinned open in the ceiling and flocks of Corvus swirled through the air in a confusing dance of red and black shadows.
Inmates everywhere were screaming, most still trapped in their cells. A handful managed to escape through openings made by the Grimm, only to find themselves set upon by the bloodthirsty creatures who had freed them.
One woman ran at Yang, tearing out her hair as she flew down the stairs. She nearly knocked Yang over the railing as she shoved her way past, screaming towards the exit of D block.
Pockets of navy-clad COs fought against the Grimm, most wielding guns. Some, either improperly armed or out of ammo, lashed out defensively at the beasts with their heavy black batons.
Leaning over the railing, Yang looked down. Each level beneath her was cluttered with more and more bodies, some of them still moaning or mewling in pain. Most were still.
Yang's stomach flipped and bile rose in her throat.
So many dead, and there's more Grimm coming… what the hell do I do?
Fighting to stay in control, Yang climbed out of the stairwell and lurched along the walkway. Keeping away from the bars and the desperately grappling hands of trapped inmates, Yang stumbled forward. Passing under a loudspeaker she flinched, the sirens roaring in her ear.
Distracted, she didn't see the small Beowolf leap into her path in time to react. It lunged at her, knocking her onto her back and landing on top of her.
"GERROFF!" cried Yang, her hand latching onto the creature's throat – holding its snapping teeth at bay.
Even though the Grimm was young, it was still heavy enough to push Yang's strength to the limit. Her arm shook violently and nearly buckled at the elbow under its weight. Desperate, she reached up with the stub of her right arm, pushing at its chest.
The Beowolf rained down a series of wild blows with its paws. Its claws raked harmlessly against Yang's aura, but she still felt of the heavy weight of each impact, jarring her to her bones.
Yang's teeth gnashed and her eyebrows knit together.
Can't keep this up… the monitor will go off if I put much more into my aura…
Jerking her head up Yang screamed in the beast's face and it reared back in surprise. Pressing the advantage, Yang rolled, tugging the Grimm with her. Using her momentum, she flung the Beowolf away from her, and it slammed into the railing.
Leaping up, Yang lashed out with a series of merciless kicks, shoving the beast between the wide bars until its chest was trapped. The wolf Grimm flailed, only managing to push itself further through the railing.
Roaring, Yang lashed out with one final kick and the Beowulf slipped between the horizontal bars of the railing and dropped like a stone to the floor three levels below. It landed on its back with a sickening crack.
Yang's chest heaved as she sucked in deep, shuddering breaths. Holding onto the railing, she stared at the crumpled body of the Grimm below.
She smiled.
I did it! she thought, the shout of joy echoing inside her head.
"Who's top dog now you stupid monster!" she taunted, panting.
Her huntress training taking over, Yang reined in the feeling of victory – recognizing that the battle was far from won.
Looking around, Yang's smile faded and her lips settled into a grim line. She was still surrounded by ever-increasing numbers of Grimm, unarmed and unable to use her semblance without knocking herself unconscious.
Scanning the walkway, Yang spotted a group of COs back towards the western side of D block. The circle of guards was grouped around two figures who seemed to have taken charge. Breaking into a run, Yang made her way towards them.
Hovering around the edge of the circle, Yang heard a man and a woman in the middle of group giving orders, organizing guards into coherent squadrons – each designated for a specific task like med evac, inmate defense, and a spearhead to charge the massive Nevermore tearing down the walls.
Taking off to relay orders, COs broke away from the group, allowing Yang to elbow her way forward. Breaking through, she starting yelling.
"CO! CO!"
The female CO turned to her and balked, surprised by the appearance of an inmate in their midst.
"You have to open the doors! Girls are getting massacred in their cells, you have to give them a chance to run!" urged Yang, hoping she sounded convincing.
The male guard beside her turned.
"That'd just add to the chaos-"
"Doesn't matter!" spat Yang, cutting him off. Pointing to the floors below, she cried, "Women are dying down there! They can barely even use their aura to defend themselves with those stupid things around their ankles – they're sitting ducks! You can't leave them there!"
The longer she shouted, the higher Yang's voice rose. By the end she was practically berating the two commanding COs.
"She's right, you know," said the female CO, turning to her male colleague.
"There'll be a stampede! More of our guys'll just end up getting killed in the confusion! No way, we can't."
Yang was about to jump in with her argument again when the female CO cut her off, rallying to her cause.
"C'mon Danvers just look at this mess! Are you seriously telling me you're willing to look the other way while we serve these women up to the Grimm?" she yelled, getting in his face. "It's our job to keep them safe, I don't give a damn how scared you are – you can run right now and I won't ever say a word. Go shit your pants somewhere else, I'm opening the cells."
A murmur of assent bubbled up from several of the guards around them, some of them nodding along as the female guard spoke.
Danvers glowered, anger and shame warring across his features. Grinding his teeth, he growled, "Fine. Let 'em out. When we all end up dead it'll be on your head Stevens."
Motioning to a group of three COs behind him, he stomped off towards the eastern wall, cocking his sidearm.
Stevens' eyes narrowed, watching him go. Nodding to Yang, she bent her chin towards the radio on her shoulder. Muttering a few quick words, she relayed the orders to a CO in the command booth, located back near the entrance to D block.
Yang managed to catch most of her words:
"…open all the cells in D block, we're letting them out… don't have time to run it up the chain, just do it. They don't have a chance otherwise… start matching the frequencies, I need you to release the monitors…"
Yang's eyes widened. When Stevens released the transmission, she gathered up the remaining COs with her and started to climb the stairs towards the upper levels where flocks of crow-like Grimm were gathering.
"CO… Stevens?" called Yang.
Busy leading her crew, Stevens grunted to acknowledge her but didn't stop waving the other COs up the stairwell.
"What was that last part about the monitors?"
A grim smile flashed across Stevens' face.
"It's your lucky day inmate," she said, starting to follow the other guards up to the next level. "It'll take a while to get them all on the right frequency, but they're gonna release the monitors on the D block inmates, give you all a fighting chance."
Stevens winked and bounded up the stairs, leaving a stunned Yang standing alone on level three.
A moment later, a buzz hummed through the sea of noises that roared throughout D block and the cell doors clanked open, sliding along their groaning tracks. Inmates scrambled over one another, rushing to get out.
A mob of women in rumpled tan prison uniforms converged on Yang, heading for the stairs. Gripping the rail, Yang turned and zigzagged down the stairs, ahead of the charge.
When she hit the landing on level two, she found herself swept away in the growing tide of inmates. In the confused mass of bodies, women tried to shove past each other – heading in all different directions.
Most women who managed to keep their heads moved west, heading for the exit, but Yang was caught in a panicked group of inmates – mostly Faunus – who headed for the nearest escape: the gaping hole in the eastern wall.
Carried along in the stream, Yang squirmed and fought but found herself swept closer and closer to the giant Nevermore. Its piercing cries shredded through the wail of sirens and screaming inmates – its terrible voice crashing through Yang in great trembling waves.
One of the women next to her crumpled and fell as a block of concrete toppled out of the wall and struck her. Yang watched as she disappeared under the stampede of panicking feet – inmates carelessly stepping over her in their desperate attempt to escape the Grimm.
Yang ducked, crouching low as a flock of crows swooped down at the fleeing inmates. Women shrieked as sharp claws and beaks bit into their skin.
And still the tide moved.
Yang's entire body shook with the great tremors of the Nevermore tearing through the wall and the hair on the back of her neck stood up as she heard the growl of a nearby Beowolf. Yang's eyes cast about, constantly looking for enemies, but she couldn't see through the twisting mass of limbs around her.
Still shuffling in a low crouch, Yang scooped up a piece of debris. Clutching the jagged shard of concrete in her hand, she felt a little calmer knowing that at least now she had some sort of weapon.
Yang nearly fell on her face as a force bowled into her from behind. Staggering to her feet, Yang turned and saw that several of the Faunus behind her were fighting off a Beowolf – many of them wielding fistfuls of broken concrete, having the same idea as Yang.
Another body knocked into her and Yang stumbled backwards. Righting herself and spinning, Yang's eyes widened as she realized where she was.
Yang was standing flush against the eastern wall of the prison, mere feet from where the Nevermore assaulted the Birdcage with its massive talons. For a moment the world slowed and all the clashing sounds of D block faded to the back of Yang's mind.
In front of her was a hole large enough for a person to slip through. Peering through the space, Yang saw the outside world for the first time in weeks, her view unobstructed by bars or latticed windows.
Leaning against the broken wall, Yang closed her eyes and inhaled the night air. The smell of fresh mountain pine needles tickled her nose. A cool breeze danced through her hair.
Opening her eyes, Yang looked at the drop to the ground. The jump was doable – especially with her training as a huntress. A mere thirty feet separated her from freedom.
But as her eyes focused, making out individual shapes in the darkness, Yang's sense of calm faded.
Already several women had dashed through the holes in the wall, trying to escape the Birdcage and the swarming Grimm – only to be caught in a roiling mass of monsters. As Yang watched, a group of women – Faunus and human alike – were encircled by a drove of Ursa and Beowolves.
They're not gonna make it… Yang thought, heart sinking.
Like a black curtain falling on the world, the Grimm eclipsed the women and hid them from sight. In the distance, Yang heard their frantic shrieks and gurgling screams as they were torn apart.
Yang winced, taking a step back from the wall. But still, she hesitated – not quite ready to give up the taste of freedom.
"Not today, little one," said a voice from behind her. Yang jumped and spun as a hand closed around her wrist, tugging her back the way she'd come.
"Leonie!" she shouted, surprised.
The mountain cat Faunus flashed her a lopsided grin. Yang felt the woman's thick, muscular tail flip by her.
"This way," she yelled, pulling Yang back along the second floor walkway.
"We can't there's too many-"
Yang's protest died in her throat as she turned and saw that several women had fallen under the assault of the Beowolves and the Corvus. As the herd had thinned, the crowd's direction had reversed itself – desperate to find an escape from the Grimm.
Survivors tripped over the bodies of dead and wounded inmates, heading west for the exit. Leonie, still gripping Yang's arm, tugged her along as they raced back along the walkway.
As they hurried down the passage, both women kept their heads on a swivel, eyes scanning for incoming Grimm. Frequently they had to duck as Corvus dove at them in a mad barrage from above.
After one particularly nasty assault, Yang noticed that blood was dripping down on her, leaking from the wounds on Leonie's neck and shoulders. In each wave, the taller woman tended to take the brunt of the attacks.
When they finally reached the stairs, Leonie pulled them to a halt. The stairwell was cluttered with a mass of confused bodies as women fought each other to get by. Underneath their feet, unconscious figures lay strewn over the stairs.
Grunting, Leonie released her grip on Yang and grabbed the railing. Heaving, she vaulted herself over the side and disappeared from sight. Scrambling, Yang followed suit – landing on the balls of her feet nearly twenty feet below.
Ahead of her, Yang saw the tall Faunus barreling through a crowd of inmates swarming the exit of the Wilds. Behind Leonie cleared a small path, although wriggling bodies threatened the close over her narrow wake.
Hurrying, Yang tried to catch up before the opening closed. Wading into the crowd, she slowly fell farther and farther behind, her progress eventually grinding to a halt.
Caught in the middle of the horde of inmates, Yang's vision swam as she was battered side to side by shoving arms and stamping feet. The red light still pulsed in and out, in and out – soaking the room in red and black shadows. Sirens blared together into a continuous drone and a loudspeaker crackled uselessly as a recorded voice shouted senseless words.
Behind her a cry went up, and a raucous chorus of coughing barks and growls nipped at the mob. Women surged forward, away from the encroaching Grimm – pushing Yang closer to the exit.
After endlessly long minutes of desperate shoving and useless screaming, Yang found herself being carried out of D block and into the hallway beyond. Finally through the bottleneck of crammed bodies, Yang broke into a run, heading further away from the Eastern wall.
Mercifully, the gates had been buzzed open – allowing the inmates free passage. As she sprinted, navigating through the familiar halls, Yang saw that inmates from A block had managed to flee as well – the entire eastern half of Briarcliff was evacuating towards the center of the compound.
As she ran, she noticed several Grimm had penetrated deep into the Birdcage – mostly flocks of the small but furious Corvus, diving into the horde of fleeing inmates and coming up with gleaming red blood on their beaks and talons.
Faster than she would have thought possible, Yang found herself bursting into the center of the Briarcliff compound. Barreling through the wide entrance, Yang sprinted along with the mob into the Yard, but the moment she entered the open space she stopped and stared, trying to figure out what she was seeing.
The four massively thick walls that lined the Yard stood firm, but the force field that stretched between their tops had been broken. Grimm flooded down through the opening, black birds humming in droves as the swept over the fleeing inmates like a plague of locusts.
Several Beowolves had even managed to scale the walls, haphazardly dive-bombing into the Yard and barking crazily with a fiendish glow in their bright red eyes.
Yang started running again, dodging through the crowd.
Have to keep moving – just have to make it out of here… they're coming from the East, B and C blocks should be safer. Just. Can't. Stop. Moving!
Yang's lungs burned and her knees jarred with the impact every time one of her feet struck the ground. The earth seemed to tremble underneath her, threatening to rush up and swallow her whole.
Looking up, she saw a shadow cover the moon, gliding lazily through sky. Horrified, Yang recognized it as another giant Nevermore, just as large if not larger than the one tearing its way through D block.
The ancient beast blotted out the stars, a haze of red trailing from its massive eye as it passed the prison in profile. The air shook with rumbling thuds with each flap of its wings, air whistling through its long, sharp-edge flight feathers.
The maw of its beak opened and loosed an ear-shattering shriek and all of the Grimm started to bay and howl and cackle and caw, rallying to its cry. As the noise echoed and died, the monstrous creatures renewed their assault on the Birdcage and its prisoners.
Belatedly, Yang realized that she was clutching the shard of concrete so tightly in her hand that her palm and fingers had started to bleed, the hot red liquid oozing sluggishly over her skin.
Pushing her legs to go faster and faster, Yang dashed across the Yard towards the great oak that sprouted up out of the middle of the field.
Reaching the tree, Yang heard a buzzing sound followed by a small click and she looked down at her ankle.
The green light on her monitor still shone brightly, but the brace had loosened around her leg – its two halves unclenching with a small puff of air. All around her, girls from D block stared at their monitors, mouths agape.
Yang bent down and dropped her makeshift weapon, trying to remove the monitor. Dismayed, she saw that the release mechanism had to be triggered by applying pressure to opposite sides of the monitor – like a child's lock. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes and she tried to tear the thing away, but to no avail. She needed two hands.
Looking around, she saw inmates from the Wilds freeing themselves of the devices and striding off into the sea of monsters, auras building rapidly. One woman shimmered and disappeared – melding invisibly into her surroundings. Another seemed to sprout plates of metallic gray armor, covering her skin like scales.
"Somebody help me get this thing off!" screamed Yang, her voice pleading. The women around her either ignored her or didn't hear.
"Somebody please! I need help!"
After a minute of useless yelling, Yang gave up, resigned. Wearily, she took up the shard of concrete in her hand again.
Every screech, every roar, every screaming voice had Yang's hair standing on end. Her eyes constantly surveyed the area around her, picking out dark shadows amongst the mass of panicked inmates.
Somewhere off to her right, Yang's eyes locked on to a sleek, black form slouching through the crowd. Calmly, patiently, the beast stalked its prey, red eyes roving through the buffet of frantic women, arms flailing and feet pounding.
Two muscular, rolling shoulders dominated Yang's view as the creature pawed its way in a circle around her and the other inmates. Eyes studying its face, Yang saw a beard of black and white whiskers swept back from its heavy jaws, curling into thick points. It yowled, tail flicking side to side.
It was a giant cat – a mountain Grimm Yang had learned about but never seen before. The beast – a Coeurl – stalked off to her right, disappearing into the horde – its long fangs gleaming in the moonlight.
Looking up, Yang saw a pair of average-sized Nevermores circling their gigantic cousin who seemed to be leading the charge. A cry from the larger Nevermore echoed down to the field below, and the duo split off from the ancient beast and lowered their wings, diving into the Yard at a staggering speed.
Yang felt a whoosh of air rush by her, and a woman screamed nearby. Cawing and flapping and shrieking dominated her hearing and she fought the urge to cover her ears.
Another gust of air whipped Yang in the face and one of the Nevermores swept up into the air in front of her, dangling an inmate in its talons. The beast climbed higher and higher, until it arched its back and whipped its claws forward – flinging the inmate at the prison wall.
Her body slapped into the wall with a wet crunch and she toppled back down to the Yard below.
Coolly, the bird turned its gaze to Yang.
Yang slipped into a defensive crouch, bracing her back against the tree. She raised the concrete block in her hand, holding it aloft.
Easy, find the timing between your breaths, she thought to herself.
Her heartbeat roared in her ears and her hand clenched tighter and tighter around the shard of rock. The Nevermore seemed to hang motionless in the air for a moment, and then it jerked into a dive as it whirred towards Yang beak-first.
Waiting as long as she could, Yang stared down the beast and dove to the side at the last second. Lashing out, she struck at the creature's head with her broken slab of concrete.
The Nevermore screeched and tried to pull itself out of the dive. Too late, the beast's left wing slammed into the oak tree. As it thrashed, it tore the concrete weapon out of Yang's grasp, sending the shard flying several feet into the throng of warring bodies.
The Nevermore's bones seemed to buckle and crack when its wing collided with the tree, but the bird managed to right itself and rise back into the air on a gust of wind.
Fighting back the rising panic in her throat that threatened to strangle the breath from her body, Yang watched as the monster circled back for a second attack.
She backed up to the tree again, hoping it would be fooled a second time.
But some light of knowledge gleamed in the terrible bird's eye and it slowed its speed, controlling its descent. Pulling up at the last second, the bird raked Yang with its talons, trying to pluck her squirming body from the ground.
Blindly, Yang fought the gleaming white claws and lashed out at the bird's legs. She landed a solid roundhouse kick on the joint that held up the beast's wounded wing. Shrieking, the creature backed off, circling back into the air above.
Yang shuddered, drawing in deep jagged breaths. From the scuffles in D block and now the Nevermore's attacks, she bled from dozens of gleaming cuts. She shivered, cold seeping through the wet patches of her blood-soaked clothes.
If that thing hits me again, she thought, I'm not gonna be able to hold it off. My aura will break at this level, and I can't raise it higher without setting of this damn monitor!
Yang's thoughts shrieked inside her head as frustration at her inability to wrestle the device off her leg came roaring back.
I AM NOT GONNA DIE HERE!
As Yang warred with herself, aura rising dangerously and the light on her monitor blinking orange, the Nevermore circled back into view – swooping lazily around the great oak. Its flight wavered, the damage to its wing forcing it to wobble dangerously.
It screeched and Yang braced herself, the bark of the tree behind her digging into her skin. She felt the incessant flapping of small wings whipping hair into her face but she ignored it, trying not to let herself get distracted by something like a small Corvus when a Nevermore was trying to kill her.
Frustration, anger, fear – it all screamed inside her, and a shout rose to her lips unbidden.
"AHHHaaaaahhhhRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Yang roared, baring her teeth like a feral animal, shaking the hair out of her eyes – her scream blotting out the rapid fluttering of wings in her face.
Her eyes trained on the Nevermore, Yang didn't see it when something large and heavy slammed into her leg. Heart sinking, she fell to one knee, steadying herself by propping her hand against the ground.
She had just enough time to look up as the Nevermore's beak opened and screeched just a few feet from her face.
I'm not going to have time to dodge it –
Yang panicked and threw up her hand in front of her face. She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut – bracing for the impact.
Author's note: Ok guys so this was part one of the Behind Bars Vol. 1 climax/ending, the conclusion should be ready to go in a few days – I'll have it posted by the beginning of next week!
Thanks again to everyone for posting reviews/PMs, please keep 'em coming I really love getting your feedback! Hit me up with any questions/comments/suggestions!
Also, in response to Ludo's review: I've been working on a way to bring canon characters back into the story, so just a little sneak preview: A favorite RWBY character of mine will be arriving at the Birdcage to help out in the wake of the Grimm attack. This person will probably show up in the next chapter, but definitely will be in the second story arc comin' up! Stay tuned :)
*Notes on the origin of names: Corvus is a reference to the scientific name for many species of crows and Coeurl is a reference to panther-like fiends from the Final Fantasy series (not the first FF ref I've snuck into the fic, there's two way back in chapter 1 if you like hunting down Easter eggs! –trying to keep up the tradition of having significant names/names that are references like I started back with Cadeja which is a gender bent version of the figures of 'los cadejos' from Hispanic legends, very cool creatures, if you're curious look them up!)