A cool breeze blew through the ever quiet forest of Patch island, carrying songs of a coming storm up and through the branches. The shadows clung to their trees as the light of the moon shone down upon them. A cry split the silence, desperately climbing the sky but never quite reaching the stars. The wail of longing came from babe wrapped in red, her little hands shaking in anger, fear, and sorrow as she laid in a basket alone amongst the trees. The corpse of a young woman laid beside the basket, her blood staining the ground.
The child's screams were met by rapidly approaching shadows, deep glowing red eyes peering through the darkness towards the intricately woven basket. The woman's body was of no concern to them, a huntress long dead having been consumed by her wounds. More and more eyes fell upon the babe, the soulless owners contemplating whether or not to consume what little flesh was there. Finally a large beast of shadow and bone padded forward, cracks and battle scars adorning its mask as it peered down at the child. This creature had been around for some time, and had seen many a warrior attempt to slay it in return for the carnage it had wrought upon the populace over the years. However never before had it seen such a small one left so alone, always there were more, but nothing could be found and any scents had long since faded.
The Grimm, yes that was what it was, took the basket within its jaws before turning towards the rest of its kin, growling low in its throat as a warning, a caution against harming the tiny one. Although if the child continued to scream in this manner the Grimm may just decide it wasn't worth the effort to bring it to its mistress. Well, that was what it thought before peering back down and catching a glimpse of those large luminescent silver eyes. Breathtaking to the normal person, the Grimm indeed did pause as it took in that innocent light into its very own blood red ones. The mistress had asked for the silver eyes, to bring any they found, all Grimm knew those eyes. They were the eyes of the hunters who turned them to stone, to dust, their natural enemy. Knowing now that this child must be brought back in one piece, the Grimm huffed silently and began the long journey, the veeeery long journey. Its mistress was oh so far away, in the land of darkness, the swim was easy for a creature such as it but the child may not survive the journey.
There was the soft snap of a twig that drew the attention of the Grimm and its companions. Ears perked and eyes scanning the pack located a human approaching, the scent of blood mixed deeply, entwined with the smell of aura and dust. A symphony of growls sounded in the throats of the creatures causing yet another wail to sound from the baby.
"Summer!" A man finally stepped into view, short blonde hair caked in blood, both new and old. His tan skin was covered in all manner of filth, as such were his clothes as well. It was clear that this individual was a hunter, his scent was too closely tied with that of the weapons of the Grimm's enemies. It took no more than two seconds for the man to finally notice the pack of Grimm and the basket hanging in the mouth of the leader. There was a brief flicker of aura as he tried to muster what failing strength he had left, but it became quite apparent that he was in no condition to fight the whole group. This could be an easy kill… but to the Grimm who held the screaming child, it was not worth the risk of angering their mistress.
Snorting the Grimm turned, its pack parting to allow passage as it started for the coast. A few followed closely however roughly half remained, their hunger for the man's death dividing them from their duty to bring the silver eyes to their mistress. This was the nature of the Grimm, they longed for death, they longed for the darkness and shadows their god had made. Abandoned, they had turned to the one who smelled of him, the one who had plunged into the pool of their god, and now this Grimm would bring her prize to her.
Howls broke out into the sky, as did the clash of weapons which grew further and further behind them. The calls for a name foreign to the Grimm's ears finally ceased, the hunter was either dead or had been forced to give up. It mattered not as they traveled through the forest, the babe having cried itself to sleep now whimpered softly as primordial dreams filled its mind. The child would need food, water, as all mortal things did. The Grimm were an exception, they ate or drank for the pleasure of the hunt, but it was not a requirement, still it had to consider the silver eyed one's survival.
Hours passed in this silence. The wind was their only companion as the nettles which layered the forest floor muffled the pack's steps. A few of the younger ones whined out their protests to this course of action, to this return to their home. They were young in the eyes of the one carrying the silver eyes. It had been oh so long since its last return, many winters having passed in silence with no direction but to hunt the ones who stand on two legs, hunt the ones who use the dust and the aura to defend themselves. Oh this hunt, this beautiful hunt, it was like a song embedded deep within their bones that sung with each soul consumed. The longing to bury one's fangs and claws into the sweet juicy flesh of these humans, it was almost enough for it to give up and turn around, to consume the human they had left to their kin. Thrusting away such desires the Grimm stopped suddenly, the trees which had been so clumped together now opened up to reveal a beach and eventually the ocean. This is where the true journey began, the long swim across a vast ocean and towards the land of darkness.
The waves lapped softly against the beach, an enticing sound that was quite pleasant to the ears of the large Grimm. Slowly it padded into the water, each step taking it deeper and deeper until finally it only its head and the basket bobbed above the waves. The frantic kicking of the younger ones was soon replaced with the rhythmic pants of the canine Grimm. Clouds clung to the moon, slowly but surely making its way across its surface until it seemed like the entire night was drowned in darkness. Thunder cracked across the water, the distant sounds of the storm which had been brewing these past few hours were steadily drawing closer.
They were swift in their travels, several of the younger ones had been consumed by the storm which struck the first night. The Grimm carrying the basket was impressed at the child's resilience when they finally landed on the broken shores of the dark lands they called home. The babe had suffered through the storm, the lack of water which had only been provided through blood from rabbits and the occasional deer when they did make landfall across numerous islands on their path here. She was malnourished, and her little cheeks were lit up red as she took small wheezing breaths. Still the silver eyed one was alive, and that was what mattered, her condition could mean less to the Grimm it only cared for the minimum needed to survive.
Once the water was shaken from their fur, the remaining Grimm took off, their destination oh so close at hand. Strength flooded into their weary bones, the pools of black bubbling liquid were oh so welcoming to them and just being back on the land had brought them much pleasure. They were born here, having been sent out to kill only to return with their prey alive. It was strange, but what did a Grimm know of strangeness?
A dark castle loomed in the distance, their final destination and the place in which this child's fate would be decided. Silence greeted them when they arrived at the base of the castle, their fellow Grimm which had been resting amongst the rocks now circled them, some growling, hissing at the silver eyed child which slept and dreamt in a feverish state. The commotion caused by such a gathering finally drew the attention of the owner of the castle, their mistress. The Grimm parted for her without her giving a command, bowing to the one who ruled the night, the bane of humanity.
The Grimm which had brought the babe all this way, across such a distance with little rest lowered itself until the fur of its belly touched the parched earth. The basket, now worn and tearing in some places, rested on the ground, displaying the baby for the woman to see. She lifted her hand, the basket raising into the air until it was eye level, and from there she examined the babe more closely. Her fingers were gentle as she opened those tightly shut eyes, understanding washing over her on why this Grimm, so old and large, had decided to bring this defenseless thing to her.
Silver eyes, but so young and frail that it would surely kill the child to attempt any of her usual experiments. The woman pondered this predicament of mortality and the weakness of this human, that was until she finally came to a decision and a smile bloomed across her face. Reaching into the basket the woman gently picked up the feverish child, holding her close and rocking her softly as she whispered to it. The Grimm whose fur still brushed the ground was beckoned to follow, and so he did as his mistress commanded and followed. The two walked, not far but still enough time for the woman to work her magic and rid the infant of the fever that threatened to rob her life. They arrived at a pool, a dark liquid filled it to the brim, a tar like substance bubbling and burping as it spewed forth Grimm amongst its edges. The woman hummed what seemed to be a lullaby as she dipped a finger into the pool, pulling from it a single drop of the substance before holding it above the child.
The babe was defenseless, her fate no longer her own as the droplet from the pool of absolute darkness fell from the ghostly pale fingers of the woman who held her. The spinning liquid obsidian like liquid splattered across her lips, seeping into her mouth and changing her forever. At first there was relatively no change, but soon the air became charged with magic as the dark woman sang louder, her words carrying a lost tongue and lost powers of a forgotten age, aiding the liquid and the child in this experiment born of pure curiosity. The changes were subtle at first, the grim nature of the pool taking hold and altering her physical makeup. A tail sprouted from her lower back, and her ears forced their way up to the top of her head, becoming more wolf-like.
And then she screamed.
Oh what a scream it was, tearing its way past the growls and cries of the Grimm which surrounded them now. The baby's wails were one of pain, nothing else, and while the woman's song soothed that pain it was still far too much for one so young and small. Cracks spread across her skin, black and creeping along her body like serpents. Her luminescent silver eyes were now surrounded by a sea of black, much like the woman who held her, her hair soon becoming a matching white that was so pure it put snow to shame. The little fists raised in anger were now claws, black and ugly with the capabilities to easily tear through the flesh of ordinary men.
And then she stopped screaming.
It was done.
The song came to a close and the terrible but careful woman stopped administering the dark liquid. The baby now whimpered in her arms, no longer in pain but now just confused as she stared up at those bright red eyes. The cracks receded into her skin, claws returning to little pudgy hands and her hair becoming a soft black instead of that stark white from before. All in all the child had returned to her previous appearance, and yet despite this change the woman laughed.
It rang oh so purely that the Grimm raised their voices in union, howling or screeching at the moon. All except for the one who remained watching the child it had carried so far, it felt something instead. For the first time in its long existence it felt something that was not a hunger for the death of man or the sweetness of flesh. No. It was a sense of longing, a sense of pride, a sense of… hopefulness. It wished to see the child held so closely in the arms of its mistress grow up, to be there as it walked, ran, and eventually joined them in the hunt. It did not of course voice these desires but the woman still knew, she silently smiled a cold but delicate smile towards the old Grimm, beckoning it once more to follow her, this time into the castle above.
"I shall name you Ruby, for the color of blood you will spill, for the gem which color mirrors the eyes of this one who has brought you so far. Yes you will do well little Ruby… you will do well…" The woman hummed, a pair of tall stone doors closing loudly behind her as she, the Grimm, and the child all vanished inside.
And that folks is the end of our lovely Prologue.
You know I've never been particularly good at writing prologues so I honestly hope this one is alright. I agonized for quite awhile if I should include the transformation in this chapter or leave that for a flashback but eh. Oh for those who do recognize the characters, yes that man was indeed Taiyang. I've changed up a few things as you can see but it will maybe possibly make sense in the end. Either way this is a fanfic right? Oh and I have nothing but the absolute utmost respect for the original RWBY story, I love it so much and honestly greatly enjoyed volume nine.
Ok now before I go off on a rant about my favorite seasons and episodes I'll try and wrap this up.
This in all honesty is a writing exercise for me, one I greatly enjoy, and I hope you enjoy it as well. The greatest motivator to keep writing something is to leave feedback which I hope some of you will do. Tell me about your favorite moments! What you enjoyed! What you hope will happen! I have the major overarching part of the story planned out but those tiny little details that really get it going are always changing.
Anyways that's all I'll say for now, wish me luck alright? Oh and have a great day!!!