Disclaimer: RWBY belonged to the late Monty Oum and the now-equally dead RoosterTeeth (don't know who really owns the franchise now). RWBY S (which the following is taken from) is a fanfiction by J.S. Everest.

Ruby marched into the Forever Fall and its perpetually red leaves with the intent of revenge. Her hand twitched, grabbing her equally red hood. Even as her cloak fluttered from a chilly breeze, she could still see what shone brightly past the trees. However broken it seemed, it was still a full moon. Perfect for a hunt.

A visible puff brushed over Ruby, as she kept on walking. Another puff, joined by a shaky sigh, joined the chatter inhabiting the forest before her. Mere tiny animals, scurrying around in the grass and trees. Ruby even saw a few squirrels and rabbits in the moonlight.

Also obvious, Ruby's boots popped under her black skirt. The red laces and trimming shifted across the grass as she turned, her brow furrowing. For the past month, her eyes–silver daggers–glared back at her tired face in the mirror, driving her. Now, she stabbed those daggers in the direction of the guttural howl. The eighth time within the past few minutes.

For the eighth time, Ruby's hair bristled. Not just on the back of her neck but the black bangs going down to it. The red tips waving over her gaze didn't stop her. Neither had the cold breeze flapping her cloak and even her black sleeves about. The rest of her outfit, dress and stockings, hugged at her petite body to protect her. Ruby hoped it would do more than that.

Her steps almost slowed from doubt. It felt like forever since she walked outside her room. Not to mention, it was dangerous for her to be outside the kingdom's walls. She could imagine what anyone, let alone from border patrol, would tell her. She had heard it enough times already.

"What's a little country girl like you doing out here?"

"You should be back home with the others."

"You're so small and skinny. What do you think you can do?"

"Leave the Grimm to the border patrol. They'll keep everyone safe."

The howls reminded Ruby that some threats went unnoticed. Her free hand went over her belt, her fingers trailing over the silver rose-shaped buckle. By the time they went for the back of her waist, the red bushes ahead shifted. Snarls and growls followed.

Ruby stopped and waited. She had come this far already. She couldn't stay in her room and brood any longer. Not when they still roamed about. She had no Hunter's license, but her abilities would do for tonight.

'Come out already.'

As if obeying Ruby's thought, red dots flashed in the trees' darkness. Then, they came. Mockeries of real wolves, lumbering on two legs like a human and snarling with bony white fangs. Like all Grimm, the beowolves were black as the night, and the thirst for an easy kill filled their red glowing eyes. More of them had been there that night–nothing like the real dread Ruby faced then–but she showed no fear.

A bark focused Ruby's attention on the five beowolves currently charging at her. She countered by unsheathing her weapon, its gears turning and plates shifting. First a mere red and large rectangle, Crescent Rose bloomed into a scythe of incredible size. So too had Ruby's plan as she twirled a handle taller than herself. The blade–thicker than her leg, swept around once, the momentum building with her own power.

Rose petals, signs of her power–her Semblance–blinked around her vision as she leaped. Everything blurred in a split-second, save for the beowolves stopping in place. In another, Ruby passed over the one in the middle, blade behind her and hitting its neck.

Skidding by the severed head and into position, Ruby put Crescent Rose down. Its blade anchored the rest of it, the long handle and the neck on the end forming a bolt action sniper rifle. She pulled the trigger, her weapon rang, and another beowolf fell with a hole in its back. She blew out the throat of another charging at her. One more fell from a shot to the chest, leaving the final beowolf to close the gap.

Though an empty Crescent Rose clicked, Ruby brought it back. Again, she blurred around the beowulf, whose claws unknowingly tore through her petals. Meeting its glare, her eyes flickered before she swung and cleaved through its waist.

There was no cry. Only the two thuds of a bisected beowolf and the wafting smell of roses. The same roses dissipated as Ruby at last released her Semblance. Even Crescent Rose returned to its folded and compact form, which she placed on her waist again. For a marvel of a dustmetal weapon, it didn't ease her heart pounding against her breastbone. Yes, the fight went as she had planned, and the beowolves got what they deserved, but… but…

'This is what I wanted, right?'

Whatever assurance or victory rang hollow in the silence. Until now, Ruby hadn't even noticed she was only at the entrance of the Forever Fall. She chuckled bitterly at that as she at last let down her hood. The light of the ever-broken fell on her. Was it judging her? If so, she hadn't done much. All that walking and running–Semblance, included–and fighting, yet what did it leave her? Alone in the wilderness with some dead Grimm around her.

Ruby's sigh, cold and cloudy, passed over her downcasted gaze. "What the hell am I even doing here?" she asked herself, closing her eyes and taking in the night air nipping at her pale skin.

A slight rumble made Ruby realize her mistake a second too late. She didn't even see the black coils until they gripped her arms, sudden and powerful. More sprung from the ground before she could use her Semblance, ensnaring her legs too. Her eyes, wide with shock, closed from the coils forcing her down as her face hit the dirt.

First straining to look up, Ruby wished she hadn't after seeing what came out of the parting pushes in front. Grotesque sickles for arms swung from a dark writhing mass. The same mass as the coils binding her, pouring between the bony white plates. The more the new Grimm slithered out, the more its skeletal body rose, standing as tall as the trees. The minute it turned, four red eyes peering from the pale skull, Ruby feared for her life.

A horror stronger than any beowolf, the approaching nihilith dragged out Ruby's questions. Soon, none of them mattered. Not why such a Grimm was not lurking further into the forest as was common knowledge. Not how to find a Hunter, if one could handle a nihilth. Certainly, not where to run.

The last one set in after the nihilth came closer. Seeing the black maw in its opening mouth made Ruby struggle against her bindings. Yet, she couldn't reach for her weapon. Her Semblance couldn't help either, with her lying prone and her limbs bound. She was helpless. Helpless as she was that night.

"... uby!" she barely heard in her mind.

Tears welled in her eyes. This was it. Her last moment. She hated it even more as she closed her eyes, resigned to her fate. Her thoughts, regrets, memories, and all went to one person. The one she loved. The one she held in her arms. The one she failed.

'I'm sorry.'

The nihilith's bellow filled Ruby's ears and–

"Ruby!" she heard again. It was him–no mistaking it. "Move, Ruby!"

Her eyes snapped open then blinked, surprised by what she had discovered. Not only was she on her feet but a safe distance away from the nihilth, rose petals scattering around her. When did she reach for her Semblance? How…?

A hint of an answer formed along Crescent Rose, Ruby's weapon once more in her hands. The nihilith's bellow, neither human or animalistic, didn't stop the warmth in her heart. He had been there for her, even as a memory.

Something rumbling in the distance kept Ruby from her gratitude. Not for long, since a large boulder, blazing purple, fell from the sky. It crashed on the nihilith's head, forcing it in one spot. Green light circled around it too as thick chains bound the Grimm's arms and coils. Other Semblances, Ruby recognized. Other people were here.

The green flash from a few feet away proved her right. The man who landed there stood at the ready, his hands on what seemed to an elegant dark cane. No, a sword stick, given how he drew a blade out. It and his thin eyeglasses lit up in the moonlight. "Are you alright?" the man asked without turning from the nihilth.

"I'm okay," was all Ruby could say.

"Good job with your escape there," the man said with much experience. His face and posture showed it. "However, my restraints won't hold for long. My colleague–the one behind the boulder–is keeping up the attack. You should keep your distance–"

Ruby let Crescent Rose interrupt, its blade folding inward and along the handle. Good thing too. She had intuited what her savior had planned as she held her weapon in its sniper mode. "Don't worry. I'll cover you."

In the corner of her eye, a smile replaced any surprise. "Very well. Much appreciated."

By the time Ruby slammed in a new cartridge of bullets, the same green light flashed twice. Once, from the man blurring as fast as Ruby and reappearing before the nihilith. Again, from stabbing his sword down, making the ground break. The man knelt, as if channeling, and a third flash erupted from his sword like a glowing geyser. His Semblance struck the nihilith's chin, and the other on the boulder pushed down on the top of its skull.

In Ruby's scope, the dance of green and purple flows was almost irresistible. Almost, next to the screaming and twitching nihilith, its head being compressed. The minute a tendril broke free of the chains, Ruby fired. It went back.

Another tendril going left–gone, too.

Another flaring upward went back down, also shot to bits.

Emptying one magazine, Ruby reloaded and emptied another with precise shots. All to keep the man alive, including from the nihilith's sturdier skeletal arms. Again and again, Ruby kept up her assault on the elbows and wrists, each persistent shot taking its toll. She barely got one final bullet in before the nihilith's right arm popped off, soon joined by its left.

Then, as the boulder disintegrated, purple and green Semblances took the head too.

Ruby had to look away from the energies fusing into a great burst. She didn't have to look to know the nihilith finally collapsed onto the ground. She did anyway, if just to take in its headless corpse, as she also took in a deep breath. She let it and the rose petals out, blurring to her savior's side. Somehow, Ruby never noticed how tall he was until he stood up and sheathed his sword. She barely reached his shoulders–heck, his cane was half her size.

"Thank you," Ruby said, her voice small like herself. "For rescuing me. I wouldn't be here without your help."

The man, though tired, observed her. Maybe it was fatigue. Ruby swore the experience was etched into his face. The silver hair clued her in too, given its natural messiness. "It was the least we could do," he said, folding his black jacket over a green buttoned vest and shirt. "But we couldn't do it without your cover fire. Impressive, especially for a civilian who is not supposed to be here."

Ruby averted her eyes. The man's knowing look and smile said it all. How could he have not known? He must have seen her in the Forever Fall, taking on a higher level Grimm. Knowing she couldn't escape, Ruby let go of her Semblance and settled her boots next to the man's brown shoes. She also sheathed Crescent Rose, more in surprise of who left the nearby bushes.

"What exactly are you doing out here, young lady?" snapped the approaching blonde woman. The man's colleague, no doubt–visibly tired as she caught her breath and brow furrowed. "You would be dead if we weren't here!"

Ruby backed away. Those slim glasses couldn't hide the green glare falling on her, sharp like the backsword on the woman's hip. Then, the man came to Ruby's rescue again, his black suit clashing with his colleague's white long sleeved top. "Now, now," he calmly told his colleague. "No need to be harsh. Everything turned out well for everyone."

A tuft of blonde hair, the only strands not tied into a bun, fell to the woman's right and hid her glare. Partially, at least. "You can't be serious," the woman said, hand on her hip. "Even you can't let her off so easily! Not only that, but you trusted her to guard your back? She could have panicked and run–"

"But she didn't," the man said, hands on his cane. "It's not like you haven't done the same thing before. Remember that time when we were students, when you and I–"

"Really? Must you always play that card?"

"You also bring up things to me, and I don't call you out on those. Just being fair here, nothing more or less."

"Sure you are." Sighing, the woman had a look of deep thought. Ultimately, no rebuttal came, and she instead crossed her arms. "Do what you want."

Ruby bit her lip. She already made a fool of herself, so why not at least make things easier? "Thank you for saving me," she said again with a small bow. "I'm really sorry for the trouble."

Ruby's eyes rose a little, hoping to find some ease. Not from the woman, tall and imposing with her purple cape, pencil skirt, and black boots. The man, on the other hand, pulled out a plastic card with the Kingdom of Vale's emblem of double axes. A Hunter's license. The name, too, caught Ruby off guard.

"I suppose introductions are in order," he said. "I'm Ozpin Levert, headmaster of Beacon Academy, and this is Glynda Goodwitch. She is one of the combat instructors. We're currently on patrol in the Forever Fall for suspected Class Two Grimm activity. We were about to head back when we spotted you and those beowolves."

"A good thing, too," said the woman, Glynda.

Ruby blinked, unsure about the man in charge of Vale's top military academy. Had she been cooped up so long she didn't see his face before? "It was a surprise," Ozpin said. "You could easily pass as a scout from Signal's surveillance teams."

With nothing else to say, Ruby cleared her throat. "What gave me away?"

"The fact no one helped you against the nihilith." Ozpin then leaned closer to Ruby, his eyes meeting hers. "But I would have to agree that you did a very foolish thing by going here alone. Not to mention, illegal. Is it for revenge? I've seen it before from other people. It never gets any better."

Ruby somewhat agreed when she looked away. Less so out of shame when the beowolves' corpses began to disintegrate. Still alive and unable to do the same, Ruby met Ozpin's stare and shook her head. "It's more than that," she said, clenching her fists. "After what happened at Patch, I…"

"Patch?" Glynda cut in. For some reason, her voice and glare softened. "What's your name, young lady?"

"Ruby. Ruby Rose."

The sudden change from Ozpin's smile to a solemn face confused Ruby. More so, when Glynda, eyes wide with shock, took a step closer and spoke softly. A stark contrast from seconds ago. "... I can't… Who would've thought?" Glynda said. "Ruby, I–"

"It's alright, Glynda," Ozpin cut her off, nodding. Glynda didn't seem to mind, as Ozpin gave Ruby a sincere look. "Thank you, for being honest to us."

At first, Ruby didn't know what to say. How did she go from being scolded to this? Was it pity? It wasn't like what happened at Patch was a secret, but why were they familiar with her name? "Honest about what?" Ruby could only ask.

"I'll explain later. What matters is that you're alive, and that I promised that I'll help as much as I can, so let me start by giving you a ride home."

Any suspicion melted away. Somewhat, as Ruby hugged herself from a cold wind blew over her. Ozpin wasn't bothered, having pulled out his phone–rather high tech, given its fit within his palm. Hearing him mention her name to a "Peter," Ruby's confusion gave way to calm. The small smile coming from a woman like Glynda was much appreciated, too. Returning it, Ruby looked up at the moon, shattered yet gleaming with light as always.

'Well, at least it beats having to walk back.'

Despite chuckling at herself, Ruby didn't understand when she heard Ozpin say, "... Rose. Yes, Peter. The very same one."

AN: Basically, it's like this: I first read J.S. Everest's fanfic, RWBY S, a couple years ago, and I liked what I saw. I also tried to rewrite/edit the first scene, more as practice for my writing skills. If anyone hasn't, I'd suggest to try his fanfic, which does a decent job of giving a fresher version of RWBY with better worldbuilding and Ruby having actual motivation (at least, based on what I've seen since I need to catch up on the fanfic). Also, if J.S. Everest is reading this, I hope you don't mind me putting this up.