The forest was quiet, the tall trees swaying gently in the warm breeze. Everything was peaceful. Serene.
Not for long, though, as the Beacon initiates were set on a collision course with the forest floor.
Azure used the limited time he had to plot a landing route. The ground was fast approaching, patiently waiting for him to make a mistake and fall to his demise. A branch reached out to clothesline him and Azure rapidly positioned one of his blades out in front of his body. It dug into the wood, redirecting his momentum and swinging him upwards. A few back flips later and he landed nimbly on a different branch, perfectly balanced.
He surveyed the area. From this height the only thing he could see was a blanket of green; he needed to get lower. Jumping from branch to branch the foliage was less thick, and Azure was able to make out more of his surroundings. The forest was dark and foreboding,and there was even less light than he'd anticipated. While the woods didn't frighten him, Azure kept a sharp eye out. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park.
Ok… Azure thought, time to find a partner. Blades at the ready, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He could sense multiple presences nearby. One of them felt familiar, but he didn't know any of the other initiates well enough to identify who it was. There were also multiple empty voids in the area, and they were rapidly approaching his position.
Grimm.
Azure's expression hardened as he opened his eyes. He hadn't seen a Grimm in a long time and it made him wary. He needed to move. Pulling his hood over his face, Azure concentrated briefly. Within seconds he had vanished from sight, perfectly invisible to the world around him. Maintaining the illusion, he hopped from tree to tree towards the familiar presence, curiously anticipating who it might be.
"AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA! YEEEAH!"
Rember cheered gleefully, savoring every second she was airborne.
This. Is. A. MAZING! She thought happily, an enormous grin on her face as she threw her arms out to either side. I wish I had wiiiings! Is this what flying feels like? I never, ever, EVER want to lan-oh shoot, that's a tree.
Pulling her weapons out, Rember hit a button and one of the clawed ends shot out and latched onto a nearby branch. The cord keeping the claws attached to the baton reached it's full length and the points dug into the wood, holding steadfast. Her momentum carried her forward and she readied her other weapon. Just before the first claw released its hold, she lashed out with her other whip to attach to a different tree. With this approach, she continued to swing from tree to tree like a crazy jungle woman.
"Okay, I think that's far enough," Rember mumbled to herself after a few minutes of swinging. Using the last bit of movement left, she vaulted herself upwards and did a couple of acrobatic flips, landing skillfully on the forest floor.
"Yeah! Nailed it." Rember cried triumphantly, fistpumping the air to celebrate her victory.
Putting her weapons back into their respective holsters, she flared her fox ears to take in the sounds of the forest. Picking up an unusual noise that wasn't far away, she climbed up a tree and made her way across the branches towards the foreign sound.
Gayle felt her muscles lock as she was launched from her platform, the excitement of the moment rushing through her veins. She was too busy watching those already catapulted to notice her turn had come until the wind was already blowing past her face. As soon as the initial alarm faded, her enthusiasm grew.
This is absolutely brilliant! Gayle thought gleefully, relishing the joy of flying. She could see the first few students vanishing into the blanket created by the treetops. Glancing behind her, she saw a scrawny blond kid flailing wildly and she couldn't help but laugh. I wish him luck with his landing. He's really going to need it! Looking back down at the forest, she planned her her own.
Alright, focus, Gayle! she chastised mentally. The trees look fairly old and sturdy, so there should be low chance of branches breaking under force of impact. The dense foliage might cut off enough of my momentum, and then if I can get my tail around one of the thicker limbs I should be alright.
She debated using her weapon somehow, but decided against it. A double ended glaive wouldn't be much help in this situation.
Lost in contemplation, Gayle was startled by the first trailing fingers of the taller trees rising to snatch her out of the air. She hastily covered her face against the thin branches and jagged leaves that clawed at her skin. Crashing through the dense canopy, she could see the ground approaching at an alarming rate, and in a panic she momentarily forgot her plan. Reaching out desperately, she grasped at the closest branch and closed her hands around the rough bark and held back a cry of pain as it bit into her palms. The branch immediately began to dip under her weight, forcing her to swing off it toward a sturdier looking one, which she hooked her tail around.
A moment later, when she'd stopped swinging with the momentum of her fall, she slackened her tail's grasp and flipped to land shakily on the ground. Dizzy from her descent, she stumbled and tripped into a nearby bush.
"Ow...I really need to work on my landings," Gayle mumbled to herself in pain, slowly getting all five limbs in order and climbing to her feet.
She emerged from the bush and brushed herself off, wincing as her palms stung sharply. Inspecting her shaking hands revealed an array of deep lacerations. She frowned. In seconds her hands were enveloped in gentle green light and the wounds swiftly healed.
Satisfied, she began checking for any other damage. "Fieldwork is nothing like studying," she muttered under her breath, "but at least it can't get much worse, right?"
She was glad to see that none of her gear was damaged. Both halves of her weapon were still secured to the holsters on her thighs. The dark belts around her hips remained unaffected, as were her green shoulder pauldrons and the armored green chestplate that protected her upper torso and the plain white shirt and white pants that sat beneath it. Even her soft leather boots remained unscuffed.
The ground shook, startling Gayle from her thoughts as the forest came alive with sound and light. She could see a pillar of dust off in the distance, which instantly piqued her curiosity.
"An explosion?" Gayle wondered aloud, drawing her weapon. "I wonder who -or what- that was?"
She set out towards the source, eager to discover the cause of the tremor.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BABY! BRING. IT. ON!" Jad screamed with maddened enthusiasm as he was launched into the air and sent careening towards the sea of trees.
The adrenaline was potent in his system and he hooted and hollered the entire trip. As he started his descent, Jad took a deep breath and started laughing. It began as a chuckle but soon escalated to a maniacally fit of laughter.
"Heh heh heh, hehehaha hahahaHaHaHA AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jad cackled as he began spinning his staff like a propeller over his head.
Before he came into contact with the tips of the trees, Jad's entire body started glowing dark green. The light intensified with each passing second until Jad brought his weapon down, abruptly making contact with the ground.
The moment Jad's staff touched the forest floor, there was an earth shaking explosion. The trees in the immediate area were uprooted and took flight, while nearby wildlife were carried away with the shock wave. As the dust settled, Jad stood and strode calmly out of the crater he'd created, completely unscathed. He stopped at the top and looked back at the destruction, laughing again.
"Hehehe, and that, children, is what brought about the end of the dinosaurs!" Jad chuckled, adrenaline still pumping through his system. "I wonder if anyone else saw that..." he mused, glancing about for a dumbstruck audience. To his disappointment there was none. "Eh, oh well. Best be going."
He secured his quarterstaff to his back and reached into his jacket to produce a black fedora. Placing the hat securely on his head, Jad gazed into the forest beyond, a confident smile plastered on his face.
"Alright Huckleberry..." Jad said to his hat, "let's go find a partner!"
And with that, he walked casually into the forest, still sporting his confident smirk and anticipating who his partner would be.
Rember moved quietly amongst the trees, the shade providing her with cover and an escape from the hot sun. Her fox ears flicked towards every sound, and her green eyes searched the shadows vigilantly. Birds fluttered among the canopy, twittering at each other and the faunus girl who passed silently beneath them. Small, unseen creatures scurried through the brush, and in the distance a lone Beowolf howled.
Rember froze and tuned out the ambient noises to focus on the Beowolf. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to locate it. There was another howl and she frowned, but determined that the Grimm was far enough away that it shouldn't cause any trouble. Still, she had best watch her back: Beowolves traveled in packs.
The next few moments of travel passed peacefully, but soon her ears picked up low growling ahead of her. Pinpointing the sounds, she activated one of her whips and pulled herself up into one of the tree's branches. Perched beside the trunk, she pushed a small branch aside and looked down curiously.
A pair of juvenile Beowolves romped together in a small clearing. Her spine stiffened and she felt her skin cool as her semblance acted up. Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and swiveled her ears to check for any more potential threats. Hearing none, she began navigating through the trees until she was behind the larger of the two monsters. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and leapt out of the tree, turning in a flip and landing on the beast's broad shoulders. She wasted no time using the clawed part of her weapons, now transformed into batons, to end the Beowolf's life and jumped off its back as it slumped to the ground.
Momentarily airborne, Rember twisted and landed in a crouch. The second monster snarled loudly and she hissed in return. The Beowolf lunged forward and Rember rolled out of its path. She was on her feet in a flash. The claws of her first whip, Ashweave, flew towards the Beowolf and wrapped around one of its limbs. It was quickly followed by its twin, Stormshatter, which ensnared the adjacent limb. Rember pressed a button on each handle and electricity surged down the cords into her opponent's body. The shock wasn't powerful enough to kill the Grimm but it was enough to stun it, and while it shuddered she leaped forward and dispatched the beast before it could recover.
Getting to her feet more slowly, Rember retracted her whips back into batons and scanned the immediate area for any more threats. The faunus couldn't see or hear anything, but she felt as though she was still being watched as she walked cautiously into the trees, her senses on alert.
As she entered the shade, a creak from above caught her attention. Rember lifted her eyes and searched the foliage for the perpetrator, but she found nothing. Focusing her hearing, Rember thought she heard faint, almost unnoticeable breathing, and her ears twitched, trying to pinpoint the sound. Standing still on the ground wasn't helping. She needed to get higher. Rember strode further into the trees, stepping lightly to avoid any twigs or leaves that might give away her position.
Once she felt she had been away from the clearing long enough, Rember took to the trees again, leaping and swinging from branch to branch with practiced ease. She approached the clearing again from a different angle and located the place she believed the sound had come from. Rember closed her eyes and focused all her attention on listening for anything out of place. The small wildlife that had been driven away during the excitement of her skirmish had all reappeared. The faunus slowly filtered those thoughts from her attention and finally caught what she'd been listening for.
Gotcha… Rember thought, and she stealthily moved towards her target.
Getting as close as she could without being spotted, Rember honed in on the sound and tapped into her semblance, freezing the branch she believed her target was perched on. Whoever it was would almost definitely notice the change in temperature, so she would have to move quickly.
The mystery person felt the temperature drop immediately and jumped to a different tree. Rember saw the disturbances across the large plants and followed them in hot pursuit.
Whoever they are, they're fast! Rember thought as she narrowly missed her target. Freezing a branch ahead of the incognito individual, the limb broke when the mystery person landed and they grabbed onto a lower branch as they fell. Taking the opportunity, Rember flung herself towards the runner and tackled them.
Rember's collision with her target caused the stranger to become visible as they fell. They both crashed to the ground, and Rember got up before her prey. The person had a hood concealing their features, and once they pulled it back Rember felt a huge grin spread across her face.
It was Azure, groaning in pain, mumbling under his breath. Allowing him to stand up, Rember stepped forward with a dancer's fluid stride, and watched Azure slowly straighten up with a grin. When he noticed her standing there Azure froze.
"Hey there, it looks like we're partners." Rember greeted, still wearing her huge smile.
Snapping out of his daze, Azure nodded back at the faunus. "Guess we are."
"Well, come on. Let's go find that relic the teachers were talking about."
"Mhm." Azure closed his eyes, and Rember watched the boy curiously. After a moment's pause, he immediately opened them and pointed straight ahead of the newly formed pair. "That way."
"Sure, whatever you say," Rember agreed.
The two embarked further into the forest of green, following Azure's sense of direction.
Valerie walked past a suspiciously familiar bush for what seemed like the millionth time.
Everything looks the same..! she groaned internally, then sighed to herself whilst wiping the sweat from her brow. The landing part of the job was easy enough, but finding an old temple in the middle of a creepy forest was much more difficult than she'd thought. Pausing for a moment to listen, she heard birds twittering around her in the treetops, leaves chattering as the foliage was rustled by wind - and then the staccato of gunfire in the distance.
Seems like trouble is showing up...I'd better be on guard, Valerie thought, pulling out her short double-edged sword and a small, circular shield.
She had just resumed walking, stepping more cautiously than before, when she heard a menacing roar off in the distance. Without hesitation, she ran in the direction of the sound, and soon emerged into a small clearing.
Upon arrival, Valerie spotted a white haired girl fighting against two Ursai. She took cover behind a tree and watched the scene unfold with interest.
Kyra swung one of her wrist blades across the smaller Ursa's face. It left a deep cut in the bone plating it struck and she jumped back as the beast took a wild swing at her. The injured Grimm charged blindly at the girl, trying to trample her underfoot. Kyra rolled out of the way at the last second and pointed her other sword at the beast. Small guns attached to the bottom of each of her weapons were revealed, Kyra squeezed the trigger of one weapon and opened fire, striking the beast square in the head. The Ursa stumbled for a minute before crashing to the ground.
Valerie watched in awe as Kyra single handedly killed the monster before her attention snapped elsewhere. The larger Ursa was charging full speed towards Kyra, who seemed to have forgotten it was there, and upon realizing this Valerie sprinted from her hiding spot.
"Hey! Behind you!" Valerie shouted in an attempt to warn the other girl.
Kyra turned around, just in time to see the ursine beast closing in on her, and braced herself for impact. Before she was rammed, however, Kyra watched in astonished confusion as the Ursa somehow stumbled off from its collision course and dropped dead. With a cursory glance, Kyra discovered a spear sprouting from the back of its head.
She watched Valerie, still catching her breath, withdraw the spear and transform it back into a sword. Having regained her composure, Valerie looked Kyra square in the eye and gave her a heart warming smile.
"Hiya! Glad you're okay, I didn't think you'd hear me in time," Valerie said. Kyra gave a quick huff and looked away. "Is...everything okay?"
""Sure. I had everything under control," Kyra replied coldly.
"Uh...ok then," Valerie said, confused by Kyra's unwarranted hostility. Clearing her throat, she extended a hand towards Kyra. "I'm Valerie. What's your name? I'd like to at least get to know the name of my partner." Although I certainly wish someone like Azure was my partner right now instead of Ms. Prickly over here.
Glancing down at the gesture, Kyra retracted her weapons into metal bracelets and grasped Valerie's with clear reluctance. "Kyra Myst," she stated bluntly.
"Right!" Valerie said, trying to stay positive. "Now that formalities are out of the way, let's go find a relic!" Valerie barely took two steps before turning back towards her partner, a sheepish grin plastered on her face. "Ahh...you don't happen to know where we're going, do you? I've...kinda been wandering in circles for a while."
Kyra let out an irritated sigh and she gestured for Valerie to follow her. "This way's north. Where they said we needed to go."
And she actually wants to be a Huntress? Give me a break! Kyra thought dryly as she started off in the direction she had pointed. Valerie followed closely behind her as they journeyed off back into the trees.
Although, she continued to ponder, she is my partner. And she did warn me just in time…
Kyra glanced behind to spy her slightly off put partner, keeping her ongoing thoughts to herself as they walked.
Jad marched merrily through a small clearing, singing at the top of his lungs as if he hadn't a care in the world. He'd been strolling for a good while, but hadn't seen any of the other initiates yet. The seemingly never ending trees were getting rather dull, and he decided a good while back to start caroling.
"Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano d'amore, e di speranza! Ma il mio mistero chiuso in me; il nome mio nessun sapra!" Jad sang boisterously, "No, No! Sulla tua bocca lo dir quando la luce splende! Ed il mio bacio sciogliera il silenzio che ti fa mia! Il nome suo nessun-"
The serenade was cut short when Jad heard a loud animal cry, instantly grabbing his attention. "Ahh, finally!" he exclaimed, "Something to fight!"
Staff in hand, Jad jogged to where he suspected the cry had originated from until the trees opened up into a small meadow. Stopping at the treeline he could see a wide, sandy pit ahead and he slowly, but not cautiously, approached the lip of the crater.
Without warning, a giant King Taijitu head emerged from the pit, knocking Jad backwards onto his rump. He backpedaled from the edge, visibly shaken.
"Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, NOPE! I am NOT dealing with a Nope. ANYTHING but a giant freaking Nope." Jad cried shakily and quickly turning away from the sandy abyss.
However, seconds later he heard the monster cry out in pain and anxiously shuffled towards the pit again, body trembling uneasily. Peering down into the crater, Jad saw a girl with a long reptilian tail and an even longer ginger braid fending off the two headed snake with a double bladed glaive. She was doing pretty well, but Jad could see that she was struggling against the enormous Grimm.
"Whyyyyyyyy?" he groaned. "Why did it have to be snakes? I'd take a giant Nevermore anyday! Or a Death Stalker! Or a Borbatusk! But this?! Uggggghhhhh..."
Jad continued to whine, debating whether he should jump in and assist or not. Eventually, his conscience won over his crawling skin, and Jad sprang into the fray, yelling "THIS HAD BETTER BE WORTH THE EFFORT!"
Kicking one of the snake's heads on the way down, Jad extended the blade in his staff and positioned himself in front of the girl. She leapt back in surprise and watched as the boy struck the other head of the giant snake with his blade.
"You, little lady, are sooooo lucky right now. On any other day, you'd be snake food," Jad commented, glancing back at the damsel.
Their eyes met and he gave her a friendly smile. The exchange was brief however, as the Grimm recovered and hissed furiously. Jad shuddered and refocused on the humongous monster, steeling himself for the next attack
"I hate snakes," he muttered through gritted teeth. "So," he asked the girl conversationally, "you got a plan...ahh, I don't believe I know your name?"
"Hang on, I'm working on it! I'm Gayle," she replied as she swatted the lighter of the two heads away with her glaive.
Jad fought against the darker head and fired a blast of Dust energy through the bottom of his staff, hitting it square in the eyes. The black snake hissed in anguish and recoiled. Gayle took note of the Grimm's reaction as she evaded another strike from the white head of the monster. Stowing her weapon, she aimed both her arms towards the snake's face. Two buttons set in the cuffs on her wrists extended out to rest in her palms. She pressed both triggers, and her gauntlets fired twin laser beams right into the white scaled face. The monster wailed in agony, which was all Gayle needed to dictate their next move.
"Go for the head! That's the weak spot! Especially the eyes! " she shouted as the Grimm coiled to strike again.
"Got it!" Jad replied, aiming his staff at the black snake's face. Both heads lunged, and the warriors sprang into action.
Gayle waited until the monster closed in on her and jumped into the air, the beast's snout slamming into the ground and sending up a spray of sand. Realizing it had missed, the snake tried to snatch her out of the air. It was not quick enough however, and Gayle fired her lasers into the snake's mouth, burning through the sensitive inner tissues and obliterating the head. Landing on the ground shakily, she looked back at the corpse and scrunched her nose at the smell of burning flesh. Satisfied, she looked over to where Jad had been, but found no one.
She looked up.
Jad was still fighting with the dark side of the King Taijitu, currently balanced atop the snake's head. The Grimm tried to shake him off, but he simply stabbed his bladed staff into its face and hung on tightly. Aggravated, the serpent continued to shake it's head violently, and Jad's weapon soon dislodged.
Aww, crap! Not good, not good!, the young man thought as he flew off the monster and the sandy turf rose to meet him.
The loose ground softened his impact but it hurt nonetheless. Seeing its prey vulnerable, the King Taijitu used its remaining strength in a last ditch attempt to kill the boy. Gayle barely had time to register that her partner was in danger as the Grimm lunged with blinding speed and swallowed Jad whole. She stared in horror as the Grimm turned its attention to her now, its red eyes glowing. She stood, frozen, as the monster slithered towards her.
Move, Gayle! You can't freeze up now! He needs your help! she commanded internally, but her limbs remained paralyzed. The monster reared back its head once again, hissing, and... abruptly stopped.
Gayle watched in astonishment as the jaws of the beast were slowly pried open. The surprisingly familiar form of Jad appeared in the gap, his staff lodged between the bottom and the ceiling of the mouth to prevent the serpent from closing its jaw.
"SNAKE FOOD?" Jad roared, "DO I LOOK LIKE SNAKE FOOD!? TO HELL WITH THAT!"
He extended his blade, and the sharp metal pierced through the top of the monster's skull. The Grimm went limp and crashed to the ground in a tangle of death and defeat. Jad climbed out of the snake's, shuddering, and promptly grimaced at the slime covering him. He worked to rid his outfit of the grime for a moment before reaching back through the King Taijitu's fangs and collecting his equally dirtied weapon.
"Ack! I hope this washes out..."
Gayle stood numbly, unsure of how to react. After Jad was satisfied with what little cleaning he could accomplish, he glanced over and gave her a lopsided grin.
"I know I'm devilishly handsome, but you don't have to look so gobsmacked," he teased.
"I-I-I just saw you get eaten! How else am I supposed to react?!" she finally replied, still recovering from shock. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees.
Jad walked over to the faunus and extended a hand. "Eaten, and yet I'm still here, aren't I?" he said as he pulled her to her feet, "Jad Eclipse. It's Gayle, right?"
"Yeah, Gayle Mensthe," she stated.
"Right on!" Jad exclaimed, " Pleasure to meet you. Now...since we're partners, we'd best be off to find a relic."
"Okay. Where should we start?" Gayle asked.
"Well," he began, bending forward to pick his miraculously clean hat off the ground and placing it atop his somewhat goopy hair. "Ozpin said to go north..." Jad continued, scratching underneath his chin, "so we'll start with that." He walked back towards the dead King Taijitu and cut out one of its teeth, stowing it inside his jacket.
"Why did you do that?" Gayle asked curiously.
"It's to add to the collection! We all need a hobby," replied Jad. "C'mon, we need to go this way."
Gayle nodded and followed Jad out of the pit. She never thought she'd have someone like this for a partner, but she didn't mind. Life certainly wouldn't be dull for her the next four years.
Rosalie strolled leisurely through the forest, both her weapons at the ready. Her Dust rapier, Lavender Thorn, occupied her right hand, and a second, smaller rapier, Squall Areora, was clenched in her left. Stopping for a moment, she tapped into her semblance and leaned into the rhythm of the winds. She could sense the presences of all Grimm and initiates in her area, though she noted that there were only a few of each.
Picking up a disturbance in the wind, she started moving towards the unknown presences. After a while she stopped behind a tree and looked up to see a flock of Nevermore perched nearby. They squawked and cawed amongst themselves, the two biggest of them tussling over something she couldn't quite make out.
Steeling herself, Rosalie took a breath and called upon her semblance again. She shifted the wind's direction to conceal her scent, while simultaneously creating a small vortex around her second rapier.
Leaping from her hiding spot, Rosalie swiped Squall Areora towards the flock. The slash was manipulated by her semblance, manifesting into a visible current of sharp wind. The attack cut cleanly through the tree she was aiming for, as well as a few of the Nevermore. The remaining birds screeched in outrage at the demise of their wingmates, and flew furiously towards the pink haired initiate. Rosalie readied herself as the flock descended, preparing another air slash.
The Nevermore fell into a line formation and a rain of black feathers cut through the air towards her. The attack failed as Rosalie used her semblance to send the projectiles tumbling harmlessly to the ground. The birds squawked indignantly, and another attack from Rosalie saw their numbers cut in half.
Changing tactics, the remaining Nevermore alternately swooped in to peck and claw at the girl. It once again proved futile, as every attempt ended in them tumbling through the air, bouncing off the bubble of wind she called up around her.
"You don't seem to be very good at this," Rosalie taunted them, "time to send you away!"
The air bubble surrounding her began spinning furiously, spooking the flock away. Rosalie let them retreat a good distance before unleashing the accumulated energy in one giant blast of wind, killing all but the alpha Nevermore. The last of the Grimm shrilled furiously, and quickly flew off.
Rosalie let out a long breath, and the winds calmed accordingly. But not alerting the girl to a familiar presence hiding off in the bushes.
"Come on out," she said, pressing a finger into one of her temples to relieve the headache that came after using her special talent, "I know you're there." She walked over to where her hidden watcher was, a kind smile on her face.
No sooner had she stepped into the foliage than she was jumped and gripped in a backbreaking hug. Sonara giggling like a child.
"You found me! You found me!" Sonara cheered, "You always find me, Rosy!"
Rosalie chuckled at Sonara's enthusiasm. "Of course," she said kindly, "How else could I make sure we're partners?"
"Partners?" Sonara asked blankly. It took a minute for Sonara to remember her objective, and she started jumping up and down, clapping her hands gleefully. "Oh yeah! Yay! We're partners forever!"
Rosalie giggled softly at her now partner's excitement.
"Oh wait!" Sonara gasped, freezing in place. "We still need to get one of those relic things! We should hurry! Quick, quick! Use your cool trick!"
Rosalie nodded and tapped into her semblance once more. Sonara watched in awe as the wind shifted and swerved around her. After a brief moment, the air calmed and Rosalie glanced at Sonara. "Come on," she said, "it's this way!"
"Okay! Let's...GOOOOOOO!" Sonara shouted as she ran in the direction Rosalie gestured.
Rosalie picked up her pace so as not to lose her hyperactive partner.
I'm not in the least bit surprised it was her. I'm going to be just fine, Rosalie thought as they sped through the trees, quickly closing in on their destination.