Behind Bars
Part Twelve: The Birds, Chapter the Second
Yang fought back the urge to scream. The world was the roaring sound of flapping wings in her head, and tiny currents of air brushed blonde strands of hair against her face.
Briefly, she peeked under her upraised arm, seeing a small black bird flying towards the Nevermore.
She squeezed her eyes shut tight, squirming back into the tree behind her. Muscles rebelling, she cringed – waiting for the impact of the monster's sharply curved beak.
For a moment, the world stood still. Yang's entire body tensed, trying to feel the blow before it landed.
But the attack never came.
As the moment stretched on, Yang sensed that something was wrong. Slowly, she peeled her eyes open – trying to see what had happened.
Her vision blurred – the scene in front of her a smeared swirl of watery colors. Yang blinked several times, clearing her eyes.
"What the f-"
Yang's mouth dropped open, staring uncomprehendingly. Standing with her back to Yang, Sasha was slouched in front of her, holding a long, jagged piece of broken metal. The crude weapon was jammed into the Nevermore's throat – angled up towards its brain.
The beast was dead; small wisps of black smoke had already started to rise off of its feathery corpse.
Yang, frozen on the ground, gaped as she studied the woman in front of her. Sasha had yet to say a word – she stood motionlessly, neither removing her weapon nor stepping away from the Grimm's slowly dissolving carcass.
Focusing, Yang's eye fell on the left side of Sasha's lower back. A sharp black thing protruded from her side, globules of thick red blood dripping from its tip.
Its beak… Yang's thoughts buzzed, eyes widening.
The sharp, curved end of the Nevermore's beak had punctured Sasha's abdomen, just above her left hip. Coughing, Sasha finally moved, shifting her weight onto her right leg as she slumped forward.
"Damn…" she muttered.
After a moment, Yang finally found her voice.
"Sasha… why did you…"
Sasha turned her head to the side, one tawny eye gleaming down at Yang. The corner of her mouth flicked up in a pained grin.
"Orders are orders, Xiao Long," she said, a spot of blood appearing on her lips. "I'm supposed to keep mommy's special little girl from getting herself killed in the big bad Birdcage. Fuckin' half breed…" she muttered, a sarcastic edge coloring her tone.
"What?" said Yang, eyes looking past Sasha, unseeing. "I don't… understand…"
It can't be… she wouldn't, would she?
Sasha spat, clearing her mouth of blood.
"Just know that Raven sends her regards."
Yang was stunned. Every inch of her skin hummed numbly, and her whole being felt like it had been condensed into a small, thoughtless consciousness floating behind her eyes.
"Ra…ven…" she murmured, repeating the name to herself.
Sasha winced and hacked, her eyes squeezing shut for a moment.
"Oh for fuck's sake," she groaned, holding her side where the Nevermore's beak was still pierced through her body.
A flicker of motion in Yang's peripheral vision startled her, bringing her attention back to the scene in front of her. Seeming to have almost appeared out of nowhere, Roxie was standing by Sasha, examining the wound.
"You really did it this time," murmured the small, pale-blonde girl.
Yang studied the pair. Both of them looked fairly ruffled – their clothes wrinkled and stained with blood. They must have been fighting tooth and nail to get out of D block and make it this far into Briarcliff.
No wonder Sasha's aura broke…
"Yeah well just help me get this thing outta me!" barked Sasha, her nose scrunching up as the beak moved in her side.
Roxie opened her mouth to reply, but all three of them froze when a deep yowl ripped through the air. Trying not to show the fear on their faces, Roxie and Sasha glanced around as the sound faded into a rumbling growl.
"The Coeurl…" Yang whispered, not meaning to speak aloud. An image of the black panther flashed in her mind.
Roxie's head snapped back towards her.
"If that thing's circling us then you need to get out of here," she said, her voice commanding.
Yang looked away from Roxie, eyes falling on Sasha. Doubt shone clearly on her face.
"I'm not leaving you. Not when she's-"
"I can take care of this," said Roxie, her stare calm and cool.
Yang rose to her feet, dithering. She didn't feel any sort of loyalty towards either girl, but something in her wouldn't let her run away from a fight and abandon these women to the Grimm.
"But-"
"JUST GO, Xiao Long!" ordered Sasha. Her eyes gleamed madly and her teeth gnashed together in a grisly imitation of a smile.
Yang hesitated another moment, eyes locked on the beak protruding from Sasha's back. Growing impatient, Sasha tried again.
"Run along, little Yang. Ain't no pussy cat gonna kill me. Just run – GO!" Sasha shouted, her voice climbing above the chaos of the Yard.
Still uncertain, Yang broke into a run – heading for the west end of the Yard. Breaking into a sprint, she left Sasha and Roxie behind, casting a last glance over her shoulder at them. Already, Roxie was starting to maneuver the Nevermore's beak out of Sasha's side. From what Yang could tell, Sasha was swearing at the top of her lungs, but her words faded into the slur of noises in the Yard.
Yang's ears caught another hissing growl from the stalking Coeurl – sounding just as close as before.
At least I'm leading it away from them… but how do I shake it off my tail?
Panicking, Yang's empty hand clenched, remembering that she had dropped her concrete weapon. Pushing her legs as fast as they would go, she continued to fight her way through the crowd of confused inmates and warring Grimm in the Yard.
Here and there she caught sight of a CO, but they were almost comically outnumbered.
Yang ducked, covering her head as she ran through a low-swooping cloud of Corvus. She bit her lip as pinpricks of pain blossomed on her skin where their beaks and talons ripped away at her, her aura still suppressed thanks to the monitor jangling loosely around her ankle.
The monitor! Yang remembered, a shockwave of surprise jolting through her body and nearly bringing her up short.
Dammit! she screamed at herself. How could I forget the monitor? I should've had Roxie take it off. How could I be so stupid?!
Still berating herself, Yang let her anger fuel the muscles in her legs, propelling her through the field. She pushed and clawed her way across the open space, finding that the crowd started to thin slowly as she made it further and further west towards the exit on the far side.
Peeking through the gaps in the horde of inmates, Yang thought she caught a glimpse of the Coeurl, silently stalking its way through the Yard.
All the while, the noise of screaming inmates and howling Beowolves and squawking crows rose and fell like a tidal wave of sound. Every time there was a lull, and the roar of the crowd seemed to fade, the giant Nevermore circling over the Yard would screech and shake the skies with its massive wings.
At the sound of its voice, the Grimm would rally and attack madly, striking out in a veritable frenzy of blurring motion.
Several times, Yang had to alter her course and skirt around trios of hunting Beowolves or dive-bombing Nevermores. Frustrated at the delays, Yang's face settled into frown, her brow wrinkling and eyes glaring.
After several minutes of making almost no forward progress, Yang saw that there was a pair of inmates huddled on the ground about ten yards ahead of her. She was getting ready to circle around them until she looked closer, recognizing them.
NO! Yang thought, hurrying towards the two women in stained and tattered prison uniforms.
"RAYA!" she shouted, throwing herself to her knees by the girl's side. Dimly, she noted that Freya, the rabbit Faunus, was cradling Raya's head in her lap.
"Raya!" she shouted again, shaking the small girl by the front of her shirt. She was laid out on her back, eyes closed. Concentrating, Yang saw that the girl's chest was rising and falling regularly. She was splattered with blood, but Yang couldn't tell how much of it was hers.
"What happened?" demanded Yang, turning her gaze on Freya.
The Faunus's face was tugged down in an openmouthed frown, tears on her cheeks. She seemed to tremble from head to toe, the tip of her bent ear twitching.
Her lips spasmed with small movements, but not sound escaped her mouth.
"WHAT HAPPENED!" repeated Yang, roaring.
Freya's face blanched white, and still her lips moved soundlessly, desperately trying to form words.
"S-s-she-e-e f-f-f… ff-felll… kn-n-ockedd… ov-ver-er… hit-t-t h… hu…. huh… her headdd-da…" stammered Freya, her voice high and broken.
Impatience flashed in Yang's eyes while she waited for the girl to spit it all out. In the back of her mind, she realized she'd never heard Freya speak before, and wondered if she always stuttered like this.
"How long has she been out?" asked Yang, eyes glancing around and checking for Grimm.
"Fff-f-eww ma-ma-minutess. Wuh-wuh… won't ww-wake uppp… ca-can't s-st-stay…" said Freya, looking around nervously.
Yang's eyes appraised the Faunus.
In the middle of all this, she thought, she stayed with Raya instead of running and saving her own skin.
What exactly is this girl?
Yang shook her head, getting carried away by her thoughts.
"We have to move," she said, catching Freya's eye with a stern gaze.
Freya nodded meekly, still cradling the unconscious girl's head in her lap.
Yang put her hand under Raya's back and pushed her up into a sitting position. Crouching down, she lowered her shoulder.
"Help me get her over my shoulder," commanded Yang.
Still shaking slightly, Freya hurried to help. When Raya was slumped over Yang's shoulder, she wrapped her one good arm tightly around the girl's legs. Grunting, she forced herself to stand. Knees groaning and the tired muscles in her legs screaming, Yang fought her way into an upright position.
"She's heavier than she looks," Yang panted.
Freya's hands hovered uselessly around Raya, not sure how she could help.
Taking a step, Yang felt Raya's weight shift dangerously and the girl almost slipped off of Yang's shoulder.
"Dammit," she growled.
Looking at Freya, Yang examined the Faunus.
She's too small to be much help carrying Raya, and from the looks of it, she's pretty banged up herself. I don't see how we're going to make it very far like this…
"No use worrying about it," said Yang, answering her own thoughts aloud.
Freya flashed her a confused look.
Yang shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, let's go."
With that, they marched off across the field. Yang slowly grew accustomed to her burden, but she couldn't run with Raya's weight over her shoulder. A small flock of Corvus dove at them, and Freya batted at them frantically with her hands, protecting Yang's face and eyes.
After a few grueling minutes, Yang's arm started to shake and the muscles in her back and shoulder burned. At one point, Yang thought she heard Raya moan in her ear, but the girl didn't seem to rouse herself back into full consciousness.
How hard did she hit her head? wondered Yang worriedly.
Sweat beaded along Yang's brow and dripped down into her eyes. Blinking, she stared through blurred vision – the Yard becoming a sea of fuzzy, indistinct shapes and colors.
At one point, Yang heard Freya yelp.
Pointing, the girl said, "C-c-ccc…. Ca-cc-ca-ca…"
Yang didn't need her to finish the word; she already knew what Freya had seen. A purring growl seeped through the chorus of shouts and screams in the Yard.
The Coeurl had finally decided to make its move.
"Kitty cat sure does like to take its sweet time, playing with its prey," muttered Yang. The beast had stalked her in circles around nearly half the Yard. Kneeling down, Yang was forced to let Raya slip from her shoulder and onto the ground.
I can't fight with her on my back. Hell, I can't fight much at all as it is.
Turning to Freya, Yang said, "I need you to take the monitor off my ankle. I can't-"
Yang's words were cut off as both she and Freya threw themselves to the ground, landing protectively over Raya. A second later, the large black panther soared through the air over them – leaping at where their heads had been only a moment before.
Damn – not enough time… thought Yang, scrambling.
Rising into a crouch, Yang turned to face the beast, which had landed softly on its padded feet and started to circle them slowly, muscular shoulders rippling and rolling with every step. Freya remained on the ground, covering Raya's chest and head with her own body. Yang heard her whimper softly.
Desperately looking around, Yang tried to find something she could use as a makeshift weapon, but she found nothing.
Alright then…
Screwing up her courage, Yang did the only thing that came to mind.
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GET OUTTA HERE YOU STUPID CAT!" she yelled, waving her arms and taking a step towards the Grimm – trying to startle it.
A bemused look slipped over the beast's face, and it cocked its head curiously at Yang, observing her.
"YOU HEARD ME! BACK OFF! SHOO!"
The mountain cat chuffed deep in its throat, almost sounding like it was laughing.
Yang glanced over her shoulder at the two girls lying on the ground. All around them, inmates were engaged in their own battles, and nobody noticed Yang's plight.
Gritting her teeth, Yang decided to see if she could lead it away from Raya and Freya.
Taking a few steps away from them, Yang kept waving her arms.
"Over here! Over here! Follow me you dumb animal!" she shouted. Yang's heart pounded in her chest, threatening to burst through her ribcage and pulverize her lungs.
For a moment, Yang's pulse jumped and missed a beat, her hope rising.
It's working!
Slowly, the beast broke out of its circle and started to follow Yang. Once she had led it a few yards away, back towards the east and away from the exit, Yang broke into a run.
The Coeurl growled, irritated, and gave chase.
Now what! thought Yang, her legs shaking underneath her as she sprinted back towards the giant oak.
Yang's eye fell on the workout equipment in the Yard and she made a beeline for the rack of weights. Several of them were missing, but Yang saw a thirty pound dumbbell that hadn't been taken up as a weapon by some desperate inmate yet.
Behind her, the Coeurl didn't give up its pursuit, ignoring other women and COs as it tailed Yang.
Sprinting over to the weights, Yang took up the dumbbell in her hand and turned just in time to see the Grimm leap into the air, pouncing at her with its claws aimed at her throat.
Launching herself backwards, she hurdled over the weight rack and landed heavily on the other side. The beast collided with the rack, bashing its face against the rough metal. It screamed angrily, and shoved its paw through the rack, trying to swat at Yang.
Yang crawled backwards and hauled herself upright. Bringing the weight down in a deadly arc, she tried to brain the Coeurl with it, but the Grimm saw the blow coming and wrenched itself backwards out of the bars and dodged the attack.
Yang was gasping for air, and vaguely she heard an ominous beep beep beep emanating from the device around her ankle.
Gritting her teeth, she fought down her rising aura, even as she prepared to clash with the Coeurl again.
Not now… she thought, concentrating desperately.
The black panther let its jaw hang open in a mocking grin as it started to circle Yang again. Copying its movements, Yang tried to keep the weight rack between them.
For a moment, Yang considered using the weight to bash the monitor and break it off of her leg, but she was afraid that it would take too long and the Grimm would be on top of her before she could get it off.
What now Xiao Long?
Before she could come up with another plan, the beast cried out impatiently and launched itself over the rack at Yang. Clumsily, Yang dodged and lashed out with the dumbbell, landing a weak blow on its ribs.
The cat landed, seemingly unaffected. It spun around, its feet barely touching the ground before it leapt again, launching itself at Yang's throat.
Falling back, Yang landed on the weight rack, dumbbell held aloft. The beast's mouth closed around one end of the weight, and that was all that held its deadly teeth at bay. Its heavy, clawed paws gripped the weight rack on either side of Yang as it tore viciously at the weight, trying to rip the weapon out of Yang's hand.
Yang fought to keep her grip on the dumbbell, her mind blotting out everything but that one task. The beast's bristly fur scraped against her skin and its hot, rancid breath poured over her.
The bones in Yang's hand groaned as the Grimm jerked its head violently, nearly tearing the weight from her grasp.
Realizing she was going to lose, Yang decided she would let go of the weight and slip away under the rack before the cat had time to react.
I hope this works…
But before she could put her plan into action, the monster's eyes went wide and it released the weight, its jaws dropping open in a silent scream. The sound of something metallic twanged and Yang could hear something sliding through the Grimm's flesh.
For a moment, the Coeurl was still – seeming to hover in place over Yang. Then, its eyes slowly started to slide shut and it tipped dizzily, falling to the ground on its side. It hit the earth with a solid thump, and its tongue flopped lifelessly out of its open mouth.
"It's dead!" shouted Yang. She was panting heavily, and every breath she took drew a sharp sting from a cramp in her side.
"It's dead – how… did… it…" she pushed the words out between gasps, dropping the weight and cupping her hand around the pain in her side.
"You're welcome," said a sharp but soft voice above her.
Yang's eyes widened. Sitting up, Yang lifted herself off the weight rack.
"Adrienne! What – how-" Yang stammered.
Adrienne grinned.
"You don't think they'd let just anybody work here," she said, her hand resting on a cocked hip. In her other hand, she held a long, slender sword that was easily more than half her body length.
"Gotta be able to handle the big, scary inmates if they get out of control. Remember, I get to deal with all the crazies," she said, almost teasing.
"But what are you doing here!" Yang shouted. "Are you insane? You're not a guard it's not your job to-"
"Who said it's not my job?" asked Adrienne, her tone still light but her eyes betraying how serious she was.
"Oh for the love of-" said Yang, an idea forming in her head.
Smiling, Adrienne said, "What? You thought Sasha was the only one your mother had looking out for you in here? Raven's not stupid. Sasha can be… difficult to control."
Fuming, Yang started to stomp off back towards the west exit, stepping over the dissipating body of the Coeurl. She stiffened when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"I told you before, I can be your friend in here…" whispered Adrienne's voice in her ear. Yang froze, feeling a feather-light touch around her ankle. After a second, it was gone.
Jerking around, Yang turned to tell Adrienne to back off but she never got a word out.
Adrienne was gone – disappeared into the crowd.
"What is this place…" murmured Yang.
Looking down at her feet, Yang saw that Adrienne had managed to pop the ankle monitor off of her leg in that half-second of contact.
"Well, I guess that's something…"
Unable to suppress a smile, Yang took a deep breath and let her aura rise, calling up her semblance. In the middle of the chaos and death and fear and panic and all the rest of it – an undeniable joy welled up inside of Yang as the heat rushed over her skin. She could feel several of the cuts on her arms and face closing over, and the ache in her muscles soothed.
Practically bouncing, Yang bounded across the Yard – heading back towards where she'd left Freya and Raya. Passing through the mashed crowd of bodies, she struck out at several Grimm as she went, no longer circling around to avoid them.
At one point, she cornered a small Beowolf that had been terrorizing a pocket of wounded inmates, baiting it into a fight.
"HIT ME!" she screamed, almost gleefully.
Brazenly, she let the beast collide with her, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying. Grinning she leapt up and lashed out at it. For a moment they exchanged blows – Yang's strength rising all the while. She still had to be careful – her aura wouldn't defend her forever, and she couldn't fight the way she had before she'd been injured in the Fall.
Heartened by Yang's enthusiasm for the fight, some of the inmates around her joined in, and they managed to beat the Grimm back. After landing a savage kick in its chest, Yang felt its ribs stave in, and the wolf grew still.
Hollering her triumph, Yang broke off in a headlong run, not stopping until she found Raya and Freya.
Freya's eyes widened, taking in the bright yellow glow of Yang's aura. Energy buzzed over her skin and her hair was a beautifully wild tangle of curls that whipped side to side as she ran.
"Let's go!" yelled Yang, barreling towards them. Freya stood up, watching as Yang hefted Raya over her shoulder single-handedly.
Yang laughed, loving the return of strength to her limbs.
Easy, Xiao Long, she thought to herself. Don't want to burn out before we get out of here safely.
"C'mon!" she called to Freya, pushing herself into a light jog – careful to keep Raya's weight balanced evenly on her shoulder.
More cautious now that she had Freya and Raya with her, Yang picked her way through the Yard – avoiding Grimm as they headed west. Several times, they had to circle back and skirt around fights that had broken out – inmates vs. Grimm, and even inmates vs. inmates – as the panic and fear took over.
Almost without noticing it, Yang arrived at the western exit. Freya still trailing close behind, the small group navigated through the mob of bodies and made it back inside the buildings of Briarcliff.
Once inside, Yang noticed that the Grimm had mostly chosen to stay out in the Yard where there was more room to maneuver and more victims to pick from. Nonetheless, the occasional Corvus swooped down from the ceiling, attacking the girls below.
After all the confusion of the Yard – and D block before that – Yang was surprised at the number of women who'd managed to escape. She was running amidst a steady stream of inmates heading west and – hopefully – towards safety.
They passed through consecutive halls of abandoned administrative offices, and the horde of fleeing inmates barreled towards the entrances to B and C blocks. After a few minutes of headlong running, pushing, and shoving – Freya, Raya, and Yang bolted into a large open crossway where two of the main hallways bisected.
Yang's eyes widened. Before them was a solid line of COs in a defensive position, ready to defend B and C blocks against any oncoming Grimm. Several guards waved the arriving refuges from A and D blocks through the barricade, ushering them to safety.
As Yang crossed the line, she felt some of the tension leave her body. She nearly stumbled, relief washing over her and sapping some of the panicked strength from her limbs. Tiring quickly, she stopped running and lowered Raya to the floor.
"Help me with her," she said to Freya, who shuffled over and helped support the unconscious Faunus on one of her shoulders.
Taking carefully measured strides, the two women carried Raya between them. Their progress was excruciatingly slow. Yang looked at the COs around them, who tried to direct the flow of traffic.
One guard noticed the injured girl hanging off of them and dispatched a fairly fresh-faced, new recruit to escort them to the med bay. The young guard saw Freya shaking under Raya's weight and quickly traded places with her, helping Yang ferry the girl to the hospital.
When they arrived, the ward was overflowing – it had been overcrowded before the Grimm attacked, and now it seemed like it was minutes away from devolving into utter chaos. The only thing holding it all together was its calm, clearheaded captain at the helm.
Doc waded through the crowd of patients, guards, and hospital staff – issuing orders efficiently and lending a hand wherever she was needed. Her words barked up and over the roaring voice of the crowd, ringing clear throughout the ward.
Working their way over to a makeshift triage station in the hall just outside the double doors of the med bay, Yang and the young CO deposited Raya on a bed of blankets. Immediately, a nurse started to examine her.
A sigh of relief escaped Yang's lips as Raya passed into the able care of another. Looking around the expanded hospital ward, her eyes sought out familiar faces. Not far from them in the triage unit, Yang saw Church and Mirra.
Walking over to them, Yang saw Church sitting cross-legged on the ground, worried eyes trained on her companion. A fresh white bandage was wrapped around Mirra's head, covering one of her eyes.
"Everybody okay here?" asked Yang.
Church jumped, surprised. Turning around, she said, "You startled me, Yang."
"How's Mirra?"
The dark-skinned girl blushed, mumbling something Yang couldn't hear.
"She'll be okay. She's stronger than she looks," said Church. "But her eye, that might need surgery…"
Yang tried to catch Mirra's gaze, but the quiet girl stared resolutely at the floor.
"I'm sorry, Mirra," said Yang, "but I'm glad you guys made it out alive."
"Where's Raya?" asked Church.
"I think she's going to be okay," said Yang – pointing to where the Faunus was being tended to by a nurse.
Church's eyes zoned in on the girl. Not looking at Yang, Church let one of her hands rest on her shoulder – a surprising warmth seeping through Yang's ruined clothes.
"Thank you," she said, eyes wavering.
Yang nodded.
"Have you guys seen Cadeja? I left her here before this all started."
Church grinned.
"Oh, she's here. Just follow the sound."
"What sound?" asked Yang.
"You'll know it when you hear it," said Church simply. Evidently, that was all she was going to say for the time being because she removed her hand from Yang's shoulder and turned back around towards Mirra.
Standing up, Yang figured she'd just wander around until what Church had said made sense.
Pushing through the double doors, she found that it didn't take long.
"Stop tryin' to stick me with that cabrón!" Cadeja's voice shouted amidst the crowd.
Immediately, Yang zeroed in on the telltale sign of long, messy white-gray hair sticking out in spiky tufts. Cadeja was standing next to an exam table, a cowed-looking nurse holding a needle in the air above the Faunus's arm.
Yang picked her way through the room, heading towards Cadeja. As she went, she caught more of the wolf Faunus's protestations.
"I said stop it alright! Don't you see that there's others here who need that more than me?" yelled Cadeja, towering over the crumpling woman in green scrubs.
Turning to march away, Cadeja's eyes snapped onto Yang and she plowed through the crowd around her, making her way over.
"Ave rota! You're alright!" she yelled. Getting closer, she wrinkled up her nose, examining Yang's blood-soaked clothes. "Well, maybe not alright…"
"I'm okay," said Yang. "You?"
"Yeah I'm good, they started me on antibiotics, and then these idiots tried to waste what little pain meds they got on me, tontas…"
Yang chuckled, shaking her head. As Cadeja spoke, Yang noticed that her tongue played tentatively at the holes where her fangs had been.
"Follow me," she said, tugging on Cadeja's arm.
Obeying, Cadeja followed Yang out of the room and back to where Raya was laid out on the floor. When Cadeja saw her sister, slowly coming back to consciousness, she shouted and worried over the girl – yelling at hospital staff and telling them how to do their jobs.
Yang smiled – recognizing a few of Cadeja's favorite curse words – and watched the familial scene. Something about it just seemed so normal, and it helped push back the fear, panic, and exhaustion of the past several hours.
For a while, Yang, Cadeja, Raya were content to just sit and wait out the storm in the triage unit. Church came by to check on them shortly, and then wandered back over to Mirra's bedside.
At one point, a cry went up and roared through the western half of the Birdcage.
"Airships! More airships have arrived!"
Yang and most of the other inmates who were healthy enough to stand peered around as new personnel poured into Briarcliff. The airship docks were on the western side of the Birdcage, protected by the cliffs and therefore unaffected by the Grimm attack.
COs called up for emergency duty flooded in, rushing to find the chain of command. More hospital staff swelled the numbers of people working throughout the ward in green scrubs.
But most notable of all was the arrival of the Atlesian Knights. The automated soldiers stormed through Briarcliff in droves, and dotted throughout were even some of the new Paladins. Leading the charge were Atlas soldiers, all heading east to shore up the defensive line and drive the Grimm out of the Birdcage.
"Ay dios, we're saved…" muttered Cadeja.
"Yeah," said Yang absentmindedly, her attention elsewhere. A lone figure – clearly in charge – had caught her eye.
Arriving with the horde of Atlesian Knights and soldiers was a tall figure clad in white. Her hair was white as well, tied back into a severe bun at the crown of her head. She wore a long, thin sword on her hip. She stood with her back to Yang, coordinating with the automated ranks of soldiers around her.
"Where you goin'?" asked Cadeja as Yang slowly walked towards the woman in white. Cadeja grumbled when Yang didn't bother to give her an explanation.
As she got closer, Yang caught some of the woman's words.
"I need to see the Warden! Where is he?" she shouted, her voice commanding.
Bud – the administrator Yang had seen in the hospital ward earlier – cowered in front of her.
"He isn't here-" he said, looking away.
"Why not!" she barked. "How am I supposed to coordinate with his staff and initiate rescue missions without his all-clear?"
"I'm sure Warden Vincent will be fine with whatever you decide," said the admin, scurrying away before he could be berated again.
The woman shook her head, exasperated.
Yang stepped up behind her.
Unthinkingly, a single word escaped her lips.
"Weiss?"
The woman stiffened, spinning around at the sound of the name. Her eyes raked over Yang, appraising her.
Yang returned her gaze, and her heart sank.
I was so sure, but…
The woman did look very similar to her friend, but she was taller and she didn't have a scar over her eye. She had the same white hair and sharp features as Weiss, but the difference was clear.
"I'm Specialist Winter Schnee. How do you know that name?" she asked.
Yang's eyes drifted, not hearing the question.
"You must be her sister," murmured Yang to herself.
Winter's eyebrows rose, and she looked Yang up and down. After a moment, she fixed Yang with a stern glare, catching her eye.
"I wasn't aware that Weiss knew any criminals…" she mused aloud.
Yang flinched, stung by her words.
For a moment, the two studied one another wordlessly. Eventually, Winter broke the silence.
"So," she said, "who the hell are you?"
Author's note: I AM YANG XIAO LONG. Phew that was a wild ride, Vol. 1 of Behind Bars: "Welcome to the Birdcage" (same as chapt. 1 title) is complete! Next up will be Vol. 2, "Breached" (it will continue to be posted here, not as a separate story).
So much drama to come! The second story arc will deal with the fallout of the Grimm attack (you have no idea how badly I wanted to say Winter is coming when I hinted at a canon character last time!) as well as tension between the human and Faunus factions, Raven stuff, more family stuff for Yang, and much, much more!
*Note on Winter/Yang: As far as I can tell, these two never met face to face in canon, and I'm working under the assumption that Winter as an Atlas Specialist doesn't have time for sensationalist news stories and has more important things to do – hence she doesn't recognize Yang
Thank you guys for sticking with the story so far, and thanks to everyone who's posted reviews/sent PMs. Please, please, please hit me up with any comments/suggestions/questions – I cannot tell you how valuable your feedback is!
I'll be back very soon with part one of the second arc, just need a few days to hash out my outlines before I start writing it all up!