An unknown amount of time later, her eyes shot open and she sat up. Her head throbbed like she'd went a few dozen rounds with a brick wall. The huntress held her temples tightly, trying to soothe the dull throbbing in her skull.

Her mind reeled from the flashback she'd witnessed. Thanks to the new headache, she couldn't focus enough to think too clearly about any of it.

"I didn't think you'd see that so soon," Kassandra said quietly.

"What, that you were the one who found the Relics for Ozpin, helped build the four schools, and are the reason why my title is 'huntress' now? I feel like this is information you should've already told me, Kassandra," she thought irritably.

"I'm sorry, we haven't really gotten a good chance to talk about everything," she apologized. "I thought my memories would've integrated with yours by now."

"Well, they haven't! What the hell were you even doing with Salem before?"

"That's a-"

"What? A long story?!" she demanded. "You better start giving me some actual answers for once, or I'll..."

Her head pounded again and made her wince. Sera whimpered at the pain lancing across her skull and cradled her head in her arms.

"Ow..." she groaned.

"You're getting yourself too worked up," Kassandra said gently. "You have bigger things to worry about right now, Sera. I promise, I'm going to explain everything when I get a chance. There are people depending on you."

"You better," she grumbled.

"Everyone okay?" someone called out.

Sera looked up and saw Isaac leaning against the wall. His lip was bleeding and a nasty cut was on his forehead, but otherwise he looked okay.

Then his face went slack and he bent down, eyes full of worry.

"Bela! Bela, get up!" his back moved up and down, like he was shaking someone's shoulders.

Sera dizzily got to her feet and stumbled out of the compartment. She tripped over something and fell to the ground, groaning to herself. When she looked back, there was some sort of ridge standing in the doorway. That's when she realized the train car was upside down.

"She okay?" she asked as she got to her feet again.

Well, Bela didn't look okay. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head and a purple bruise ruined her pale complexion. Blood trickled from her ear.

"Oh, shit..." her eyes widened.

"Let me," Kassandra's voice spoke.

Suddenly, Sera moved without her input. She bent down next to Bela and lifted her head, using her thumb to open her eyelid. The huntress's pupil was unusually large and her eye seemed to shake in its socket. She opened her other eyelid, noticing it was much smaller than the first.

"She has a concussion," Kassandra spoke through Sera, then returned control of their body.

A loud, angry roar made her jump. It sounded close by.

"Guess the Lyndwyrm doesn't care about the train anymore," Sera murmured, looking up at the ceiling (floor?) of the train car. We need to get out of here, fast."

"You read my mind," Isaac muttered, staring at his comrade's unconscious face. He bent down and picked Bela up princess-style, then nodded to Sera.

Something moved out of the corner of her eye, and she looked to see the scarlet-haired huntress unconscious on the floor (ceiling?). She didn't look unharmed, fortunately.

"Great, two out of commission huntsmen," Kassandra muttered.

Sera hurried over to her and shook her shoulder. "Hey! Now isn't the time for-"

The redhead groaned and turned her head, and before her very eyes, began to shimmer with pink light. Starting from her feet and going up to the top of her head, her clothes changed from red to white and pink, and her hair grew shorter as it morphed to pink and brown. Her complexion became lighter until she was pale and rosy-cheeked.

Sera's eyes widened, her jaw falling open. How the hell hadn't she realized? The evidence was right there. Short, mute, sassy.

"Neo?!" she screamed, her voice a mixture of shock and amazement.

Neo's eyes fluttered open, her heterochromatic irises confirming that she was, in fact, the ice cream-colored girl that Sera loved to hate.

"You know this chick?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.

"Boy, do I," she muttered, then helped Neo to her feet.

The short girl smiled awkwardly and shrugged her shoulders, like she didn't have an answer. Sera grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously until Neo's eyes were spinning like a lottery.

"YOU'VE BEEN RIGHT BESIDE ME THIS WHOLE TIME AND DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!" she screamed.

Neo pointed at her mouth and signed, How was I supposed to say anything?

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN YOU LITTLE SHIT!" she shoved her, and Neo stumbled back with a frown on her face.

Isaac put a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped before she could throw Neo outside for lizard food.

"Hey, I get why you're mad at her, but can we maybe hold off until we get out of here? Preferably in the next five seconds?" he said urgently.

Sera grumbled, but she knew he was right. "Yeah. Hold on."

She held a hand up and signaled for them to stay back, then stepped towards the busted open door at the end of the train car. Peeking her head out the door, she looked up and side to side for any sign of the Lyndwyrm.

"I think it's go-"

Something long and dark flew overhead and Sera ducked inside. She inched forward just enough to see the Grimm circling around them like a buzzard.

"Great," she stepped away from the door and turned to the others. "That thing is watching this giant coffin like a hawk."

Isaac glanced at Bela. If Sera didn't know any better, she'd think she was dead.

"Uh... We can't stay here," he said.

"I know," she said, looking up at the Lyndwyrm.

Where would they go, though? They were in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but snowy forest around. Still, it was better than sitting around and waiting for the Grimm to lose interest.

Taking a deep, annoyed breath, she pointed at Neo. "You're with me. We're gonna kill that flying lizard and get out of here. Isaac, keep an eye on Bela."

"Sure you don't want help?" he raised his eyebrows.

She looked at Bela again. She was downright catatonic, her arm hanging limply at her side with her eyes shut.

"Yeah, I'm sure. We'll take care of the Grimm, then we'll try to find somewhere we can help her," she said with certainty.

Neo cautiously approached her, as if she was in danger of being shaken again.

"Oh, chill out," Sera rolled her eyes. "You should've told me!"

She shrugged helplessly. Neo signed, Thought it'd be funny.

Sera tried to suppress her smile. It didn't work. A grin spread across her face and she pulled Neo into a hug. After a moment of hesitation, the shorter girl returned the gesture.

"Gods, I can't believe I missed your annoying ass," she laughed.

Neo hugged her tighter. Apparently, she missed her too.

Before it could get too weird, Sera pulled away and flashed a smile. "Let's go murder a flying snake."

Weirdly, Neo's cheeks seemed redder than usual. Sera just chalked that up to the cold getting to her, because her nose was just as rosy.

Neo gave a determined nod and headed straight for the door and into the cold. Sera turned to follow her.

"Hey," Isaac said, and she looked over her shoulder. He was holding Bela close, supporting her weight with a determined gleam in his eyes. "Good luck, crazy girl."

Sera smirked and started to reply, but she saw something that could give her an edge in the fight. She pointed at Bela, her eyebrows raised. "You think she'll mind if I borrow that for a bit?"

Isaac looked to where she was pointing and exhaled a breathy laugh. "She'd kill you if you did, but..."

He pulled the pistol out of her holster and tossed it at Sera, who caught it reflexively and grinned. The gun itself wasn't too special, but she could tell it was custom made. Polished black steel, a comfortable grip, long magazine sticking out of the handle, and blue glow sights. Either Bela hated reloading, or the thing was automatic. She hoped it was the latter. Sera was awful with ranged guns, but pistols seemed to like her. Hell, she couldn't even hit a target with a rifle until she was in Patch.

"I think she'd be fine with it if you save her life," he winked slyly. Then Isaac reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a few spare magazines, holding them out to her.

Sera took the extra ammo and raised it in thanks, then dashed outside. The Lyndwyrm was still circling, but it definitely saw her now. It let out defiant roar and altered its flight pattern, heading straight for the huntresses.

She lifted Bela's pistol and tapped her wrist, expanding Pyrrha's shield to its full size. She tried not to let it bother her that she was using other people's equipment.

"Don't let it get to you," Kassandra said. "Sometimes, you have to make do with what you have. There's no shame in borrowing a weapon, especially when it comes to that shield."

"I know," she replied. "I just..."

"Don't want to rely on others for help in a fight. You want to do it yourself."

"...Yeah."

"Sera. If Pyrrha Nikos was standing right here, or talking to you like I am now, what do think she would say?"

"Probably something like, 'The weapon doesn't matter, only the huntsman wielding it.' Yeah, that sounds like her."

"And...?"

She thought about it for a minute. Then a wide smile spread across her face. "Dig my heels in, grit my teeth, and give 'em hell."

"That's why I liked her so much. She sounds like me," Kassandra chuckled dryly.

"Pfft, you wish."

"Better follow that advice, the lizard's coming in."

"Ready?" Sera asked, her eyes on the Grimm.

Neo raised that same thin blade she'd used before, then used her semblance to return it to a parasol. Huh. Sera didn't know she could use that on inanimate objects. Could be handy, she thought.

The Lyndwyrm roared again, and she got a pretty good look at the stainless daggers it had for teeth. She braced herself for its attack, widening her stance and raising Pyrrha's shield.

"Dig your heels in..." Sera muttered, momentarily flashing back to one of her and Pyrrha's many training sessions.

The Lyndwyrm landed with a loud crash that blew snow all over them. It reared its mighty dragon-like head and roared; a sound so loud that Sera had to resist the urge to cover her ears. It planted its legs in the ground, its long tail swiping through the air to knock a tree to the ground.

The thing's snake-like body was at least fifty feet long and its enormous wings could bend trees from the force of its wind. Now that she had an even better look at its teeth, an icy chill went down her back. Each one was like the blade of a short sword, razor sharp and shiny. They curved inwards, and she didn't even want to consider what its mouth would do to a person. Tall spiky ridges traveled down its spine, no doubt able to slice through just about anything.

Its long, narrow claws dug into the ground. The best part? She had a feeling it could grab her if it got the chance. On its face, just like any other Grimm, was a white face plate. Tall, curved, and thick horns stuck up from its head. They looked made for ramming and crushing. No wonder it could knock the train off its tracks. The thing flew with the precision and speed of a bullet and hit like a truck going at full throttle. Its eyes burned with hatred, red as a fire and shining like spotlights.

Okay, so it was a little bigger than she thought it was? Big whoop. She's seen bigger.

"Stay away from its legs. Those claws could rip you in two. Focus on the neck, away from its head. If you can get behind those horns and attack its head with that axe," she relayed to Sera, like a military commander barking orders.

The Grimm tried to stomp her with its right leg, and Sera jumped to the side to avoid it. She came up fast on one knee with her shield raised and Bela's gun pointed over it. Sera squeezed the trigger, and a quick five-round burst pinged off of the Lyndwyrm's scaly hide.

"No good, those bullets won't penetrate that armor. Unless you create an opening, that is," Kassandra said.

"Thanks, coach! I think I can figure it out," she replied.

Kassandra went quiet, but she felt a twinge of irritation emanating from her. Sera decided she'd apologize later.

Neo leapt into action, jumping onto its knee to run up its body, slashing at every bit of it as she could. The Lyndwyrm seemed unaffected, if even more pissed off. It used its free arm to grab at Neo, but she was fast. The short girl jumped off of it and somersaulted through the air, landing nimbly in the snow.

Sera tried to come up with a plan for it. She did a quick inventory check, but it wasn't much. The gun, her shield, and Jupiter. Her bag was hopefully still inside the train cars, but there wasn't anything in it that could help. She'd have to work with what she had. And there was Neo, of course.

A lightbulb flashed in her head.

"Neo!" she shouted, and the ice cream girl shot her a glance. "Distract it! Piss it off!"

The Lyndwyrm roared again, and Neo looked at her like—Well, we've accomplished one of those things.

Nevertheless, she flicked her parasol and ran at the Grimm for another attack. Sera shot to her feet and sprinted towards it, her boots kicking up snow with every step. The Lyndwyrm's head turned from side to side, trying to decide who to kill first.

Neo dodged around its leg and left a nasty gash on its toe. That little blade on her parasol may have been, well, little, but it sharp enough to disembowel a Beowolf in one stroke. The Grimm roared in anger, its neck twisting to try and snatch Neo out of the air with its mouth. It nearly succeeded, if not for something Sera liked to call the "Fuck You and Yo Mama's Lizard Ass" attack.

"The name could use a little work," Kassandra mused.

Before the Lyndwyrm could snap up Neo like a chew toy, Sera jumped into the air with her shield raised and bashed it in the side of the face. Its head was thrown to the side and it let out a pained, groaning roar that made her grin.

When she landed, she immediately raised her pistol and fired a burst at the Grimm's eyes, trying to blind it. The rounds bounced off the white bone harmlessly and she rolled her eyes. It's gonna take more than a few potshots.

Neo was still trying to carry out her orders, darting around the Grimm like a pink and brown mosquito and sticking her parasol anywhere she could. It slashed into its armor-like scales, but couldn't cut deeply enough to do any major damage.

Sera shoved Bela's pistol into her coat and drew Jupiter, the guitar expanding and transforming until its head dipped towards the ground in its axe form. She couldn't find many weaknesses on the Lyndwrym. Besides its natural bone armor, its black scales were only slightly less durable. If she had something more than Jupiter and small caliber rounds, she'd be better off. A giant cannon or better, her sword, would be preferable. Igni could cut through just about anything when it had a bit of fire Dust fueling it.

But she didn't have her friggin' sword. She made the highly intelligent decision to drop the thing when she took Cinder cliff jumping. Really good decision making on her part.

She realized something. Jupiter could potentially use Dust to soften its hide. Enough fire could superheat its scales and let her and Neo cut through it.

"Figure that out all by yourself, eh?" Kassandra chuckled. "Come on, me, you gotta be quicker than that."

"Oh, be quiet," she grumbled.

Sera flipped her axe into the air with one hand and watched it transform, then slapped her wrist to collapse her shield. She stuck her arm into the air and caught Jupiter by the neck, unintentionally striking a pose. Once its strap was around her neck, she made a break for the Grimm.

Neo ducked under a swipe from the Lyndwyrm and jumped on its large leg, then tried to stab the point of her parasol into its hide. The needle-like blade bounced right off and Neo frowned. She landed and flashed a pointed look at Sera, almost accusingly.

"I'm working on it!" she reached in her pocket and fished out a gleaming red shard.

The Lyndwyrm noticed her coming and beat its wings to catch air. Powerful gusts of wind blew her hair back and nearly sent her body with it. Sera dug her heels into the ground and raised her arm to shield her eyes, but it didn't help much. Her boots dragged across the ground, and she dropped to one knee so she wouldn't fly away.

Neo didn't get so lucky. Sera saw her fly back out of the corner of her vision, a wild look on her face. Sera tried not to laugh.

Then the Grimm landed again, its heavy body making the ground shudder. It tucked its legs and slithered to their side, trying to flank them.

With the wind down, Sera turned on her heel and braced Jupiter against her. She pulled her pick out of her pocket and played a chord, a ball of purple flame launching straight for the Lyndwyrm. The Dust exploded against its neck, leaving a singe mark against its black scales. Its wide head turned towards her, and its body slithered angrily in her direction.

"Didn't think that one through," she muttered, then ran to the side. The Lyndwyrm growled and tried to grab at her, but she slipped through its clawed fingers. Sera whacked Jupiter against its leg for good measure. The Grimm roared and thrust its head forward, aiming to bash her into the ground.

She performed a sideways somersault to avoid it, playing a loud chord from Jupiter to send a blast of noise at its head. The ear-splitting metal chord made the Lyndwyrm squirm in agony, its body flailing to get away from the sound.

Sera blinked, surprised it had worked so well, and watched the serpent throw itself to the side and roll across the ground, flailing its long body and knocking down several trees in the process. Without any time to waste, she sprinted towards the monster with Jupiter in her hands.

She had to be careful to avoid its flailing body. Dodging its tail and the spikes running down its length, Sera jumped onto it and sprinted up its body to get to its head. She reached its neck and used the momentum from its body to leap fifteen feet into the air. At the apex of her jump, the Lyndwyrm lifted its head and glared straight at her, eyes burning with hatred.

The Grimm launched itself towards her, its body slithering to divert itself upwards. It opened its maw to reveal its rows of gleaming, razor-sharp teeth, heading straight for her.

Sera flashed her trademark grin and brought her hand down on Jupiter, her fingers placed on its strings to play the loudest E Chord she ever has before.

A visible soundwave blasted from Jupiter's body and blew the surrounding trees back as if a bomb had gone off. The Lyndwyrm writhed in pain and screeched into the air, its neck flailing like it'd been beheaded.

The Grimm's high-pitched screech was awful, but it hurt Sera less than Jupiter had hurt it.

On her descent, Sera aimed Jupiter towards its open maw and played another string of chords, firing a volley of violet orbs into it.

"Time for dinner!" she shouted, just before her fire hit the back of the Lyndwyrm's throat and exploded.

Again, the Grimm flailed its head like a maraca and screeched into the air, black smoke emanating from its mouth. Sera landed on top of it, then once again used the monster's momentum to launch herself away from it. The huntress played a quick succession of notes and blasted the Grimm's neck with as many flaming orbs as she could. They exploded against its tough scales, leaving behind an assortment of singes and glowing orange hide.

"Neo, now!" she screamed.

Out of nowhere, the pink and brown-haired girl lunged towards the Grimm and drove the point of her parasol into its glowing scales. Sera watched the entire blade sink into it and the Lyndwyrm let out a surprised roar in response.

All that for one hit that probably felt like being jabbed with a toothpick.

Thinking the same thing she was, Kassandra said, "It's gonna take more than that..." in a voice as soft as a whisper.

Sera gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on Jupiter. "I know! You don't have to tell me!"

The Lyndwyrm rolled onto its front feet, glaring at Sera and Neo with hateful eyes and a partially glowing and sizzling neck. After a few seconds, she watched the orange glow from her Dust fade back to its usual black shade. The damn freezing temperature was working against her, cooling the burns she caused on its body.

It was hurt, though. That much had been clear when it had been struck. And the shots inside its mouth? Those probably didn't feel too good. If she could get it to open its jaws like that again...

"Angrier! Get it angrier!" Sera shouted as she ducked under a swipe from the Grimm's claws.

Neo flashed her a look from thirty feet away and hurriedly signed, Are you joking?

"We need to hit it on the inside! Its armor's too strong, and our weapons can't get through to hurt it enough when I blast it!" she pointed at the Lyndwyrm's scorched neck where Neo had tried to stab it.

Neo rolled her eyes dramatically. While she was distracted, the Grimm's tail came out of nowhere and sent her flying. It hit Neo in the chest and knocked the wind out of her, then threw her tumbling across the ground and dug a shallow trench in the snow. She didn't seem hurt, fortunately, but she was slow to get up.

The Lyndwyrm turned its massive head towards her and bared its fangs, its lips curling distastefully. It slithered towards her faster than Sera anticipated, and she broke into a sprint.

Sera's heart pounded in her chest as she raced to intercept the large Grimm, but she was too slow. The Lyndwyrm roared triumphantly, as if already celebrating its victory over the huntresses. It was faster than her, that much was clear. She didn't give up, though. She couldn't.

Apparently finally aware of the imminent danger she was in, Neo raised her parasol and put on a defiant scowl. The Lyndwyrm poised its body like a snake ready to strike, its wings outstretched and tail flicking behind it. Sera imagined it must've looked pretty intimidating from Neo's point of view. Even being behind it, the thing sent a shiver down her spine.

Thanks to its sudden stop, she was finally able to rejoin the fight. Sera darted around its side and slung Jupiter across her back, slapping her wrist to expand Pyrrha's shield to its full size. The Lyndwyrm lunged, and she jumped in front of Neo just before the thing could get her. Its nose collided with her shield and kept going, sending her along with it. The vibration from the impact made her eyes rattle and the muscles on her arm spasm, but she held fast. Her boots dug twin trenches across the snow as the Grimm's body shoved her across the ground and Neo leapt aside to avoid them.

Sera clenched her jaw and dug her boots in the ground, bracing her shield with her other arm and simultaneously reaching inside herself for her latent abilities.

"Are you...?" Kassandra murmured, simply watching through Sera's eyes at what she was trying to do.

She gritted her teeth and pushed back against the Grimm, trying not to let it bother her that the thing was still shoving her through the forest. The broken train cars and dozens of trees flew by her in the blink of an eye. Finally, she felt that same rush of aura, and she watched her skin morph to pale white, dark reddish-black veins webbing across the backs of her hands as her fingernails darkened. Violet aura washed over her body as her form changed, until she looked more like Salem than herself.

Her boots planted into the ground beneath the snow and threw frozen grass and dirt into the air. Channeling her aura into the soles of her feet, she felt a sudden lurch in her legs as they tried to hold her still. Sera tightened her muscles and yelled a war cry, looking up at and into the Lyndwyrm's glowing eyes. It didn't seem bothered by her change in appearance. If anything, it only seemed even more determined to put her down. This thing ruined her only mode of transportation, nearly killed dozens of civilians, and was actively trying to kill her.

That kinda ticked her off.

Sera reared her arm back, willed her aura to center around her fist, then punched the Grimm as hard as she could in the nose.

CRACK

A deep rumble came from the Grimm's throat, its red eyes widening slightly when the tip of its pointed nose bent at a funny angle from Sera's blow. It let out an enraged roar and snapped its jaws at the huntress.

Sera ducked under it and brought her shield up and into the Lyndwyrm's jaw, throwing its head upwards from the force of her uppercut. She clenched her jaw, a tight-lipped smile on her face and her crimson eyes glowing to match the Grimm's.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Kassandra's voice roared with approval. "Try that again, you ugly worm!"

She smiled, Kassandra's glee spreading through her body while the Lyndwyrm reared its head and roared into the air.

In a flash, Neo appeared in midair beside the Grimm with her parasol poised to strike and her eyes burning with hatred. She thrust her blade directly into the beast's open eye, and the screech that emitted from its mouth made Sera cover her ears.

Ignoring the high-pitched ringing in her head, Sera jumped onto the Lyndwyrm's long, snake-like body, focused her aura into her soles, and ran up its hide as fast as she could to reach its head.

The Lyndwyrm flung Neo through the air when its neck flailed from side to side, and the short huntress somersaulted through the air to land nimbly on her feet. Sera kept running. This was her chance.

She pulled the last of her Dust out of her pocket, about a handful of all different kinds, and raced up the Grimm to reach her destination. Sera wound up its neck like a snake crawling up a tree. Her aura was starting to fade, though. She could feel the traction in her boots start to slip just before she reached its wide mouth. In a desperate attempt to go higher, she jumped as high as she could and grabbed the Lyndwyrm's crooked nose. Its head flew from side to side and a terrible roar erupted from its throat, still hurting from Neo's poke to the eye.

Sera gritted her teeth while she held as tightly as she could with her shield arm. As soon as the Lyndwrym's mouth opened again, she flung her handful of Dust into its maw, happy that they landed scattered across its thin, slimy tongue, then drew Bela's pistol from her coat.

"Time for seconds!" she screamed, then aimed the pistol into its jaws. She squeezed the trigger, and the rest of its clip was dumped into its tongue. A round hit one of the crystals, and Sera was blown away by the ensuing explosion. Both figuratively and very literally.

She got a perfect view of its head as it detonated in a multicolored flash of explosions, throwing black blood and meat in every direction. Sera landed on her back in the snow and it knocked the wind out of her. She choked and gasped to get air back into her lungs, looking up to watch the Lyndwyrm's mighty body crumple to the ground as it slowly dissipated into shadow.

Neo appeared at Sera's side to help her up, but her gaze was transfixed on the dead Grimm, mouth hung open in awe of the feat.

When Sera was on her feet, she curled her lip at the Lyndwyrm and spat on its severed neck.

"Talk about an explosion of flavor," she muttered.

Neo slugged her in the shoulder.

"I thought it was funny," Kassandra noted, her form flickering into existence. The dark-haired girl had her hands on her hips and was bent over to get a better look at the Lyndwyrm's melting body. "Yeah. Not bad," she smirked at Sera.

"Oh, you know," Sera shrugged and collapsed her shield, willing her transformation to cease. Once her body was back to normal, she kicked a part of the Grimm's neck and watched her boot sink into the melting shadow. "All in a day's work and all that... You know what let's just get out of here."

"Hm," Kassandra scoffed, then disappeared.

Neo stared at her quizzically, an eyebrow raised. She signed, You crazy now?

She sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Long, long story, Short Stack. Come on, let's check on the others."

A few minutes later, they arrived back at the broken train cars. The two of them had to follow the deep trench dug by the Lyndwyrm to find their way back. That at least gave them a little while to catch up.

Neo pointed at her and raised her hands, palms facing towards herself, and moved them back and forth. It roughly translated to, You. What? But Sera read it as, "What happened after you fell?"

Signing was funny like that. The meaning of different gestures depended on context, so there could be plenty of misinterpretations. Sera was proud to say she's been able to understand Neo pretty well so far.

"Raven Branwen took me to her camp," she replied.

Neo's eyes widened. Why?

"Something about it being the right thing to do? I dunno, she's weird. The better question is why aren't you with the others?" she poked Neo in the chest.

She frowned, then signed, Cinder fell with you, idiot. I find you, I find Cinder. Except that's not the case, apparently.

Sera smirked and poked her again. "You can just say you wanted to make sure I was okay."

The shorter girl's cheeks flushed like before. Her hands flew to rapidly sign a dozen different things at the same time, but Sera didn't know what she was saying.

"Whatever," Sera stopped her signing with one hand. That was a pretty effective way of saying "shut up" to a mute person.

Neo frowned again and yanked her hands free. Not nice.

Sera ruffled her hair like Qrow always did to her and flashed a smile. "You weren't very nice until a few weeks ago, so..."

She stomped her foot and puffed her cheeks angrily, almost like a toddler. That was when they'd arrived at the train cars.

Isaac was sitting in the doorway with his green bow in his hand when the sound of crunching snow drew his attention. A strip of green cloth was tied around his forehead to bandage the cut he'd gotten, but otherwise he seemed fine. He flashed a grin when they emerged around the corner of the car and stood to greet them.

"Heard the explosion," he stood and reached his arm out.

Sera clasped it and shrugged her shoulder. "Piece of cake. You missed my one-liners, though."

He laughed and clapped her on the back. "You can tell me about it on the way out of this forest."

She glanced past his broad figure and into the train cars. Bela was laying on the floor with a coat draped over her. She looked like she was sleeping, using a green duffel bag as a pillow.

"She's doing fine," Isaac said gently.

"Good," Sera exhaled. "How far are we from a-"

The sound of heavy footsteps on the dense snow made her freeze. In an instant, the three huntsmen readied their weapons and got ready to defend themselves. Sera raised her shield and aimed Bela's pistol, her finger itching to pull the trigger.

Past a few trees, a golden animal stepped into view.

At least, that's what Sera thought it was. In reality, it was a horse. Its Palamino coat reflected the sunlight and made it appear to shimmer. That wasn't the only interesting thing, though. Riding on the horse's back was a man. His form was obscured by a wide-brimmed hat and a heavy brown coat. Something in front of his mouth glowed orange, and she realized it was a cigarette.

Neither she nor Neo or Isaac relaxed. This was a stranger in the middle of the woods. There was no telling what his intentions were, and they knew better than to let their guard down.

They let the man and his horse approach. The only sound was the animal's hooves crunching against the snow.

He rode right up to them, unbothered by their weapons. When Sera got a better look at him, Kassandra gasped within her head.

"Oh, wow..."

"Stop that," Sera said, her boots shifting to give herself better footing.

The stranger leaned forward and crossed his wrists over the horn of his deep brown leather saddle. True to what she'd seen, he wore a brown wide-brimmed hat that made him look like some kind of outlaw. His brown duster was parted to reveal a black fleece button-up shirt and matching thick scarf around his neck. A pair of silver oval belt buckles gleamed on the front of his pants, the bottom one tilted slightly. She realized he was wearing a gun belt.

His face was lightly tanned, a pair of twinkling green eyes peering down at the huntsmen. Dark brown hair hung just above the neckline on the back of his shirt and slightly curled under his ears. He sported a neatly trimmed mustache, soul patch, and chin hair that reinforced that gunslinger-like appearance. His face was handsome, if Kassandra's fangirling was any indication. Chiseled jawline, kind eyes, and his mustache lifted into an amused smile.

"Well," he said, a strange drawl accompanying his deep voice. He glanced at the beat-up train cars and grinned, his cigarette tilting upwards in the corner of his mouth. "You three lost?"

The blonde-coated horse nickered gently, turning its head to get a better view of the three huntsmen.

"Something like that," Sera responded, her defensive stance never wavering.

The stranger lifted his chin slightly. "I'd appreciate it if you lowered the weapons."

"Why? We don't know you," Isaac said, ready to launch an arrow at a moment's notice.

His kind smile faded slightly. "Because 'f you don't, you're probably not going to survive long."

Sera glanced at Neo. She shrugged. Then at Isaac, who tilted his head slightly in resignation. Great, it was up to her.

"Why're you here?" she asked.

The stranger leaned back in his saddle, regarding them with calculating eyes. "Heard a bunch of noise, then an explosion. Who's fighting?"

"We were," Sera answered. "Just killed the Lyndwyrm that tried to knock our train off its tracks."

He laughed and took a puff of his cigarette. "I see that. Looks like he got part of it, though."

"Would've been the whole thing if we didn't step in," Isaac said. Neo nodded affirmatively.

"Couple a badasses, huh?" he chuckled dryly.

Sera tightened her grip on Bela's pistol. "Look, cowboy. If you're gonna help, say so. We have an injured friend that needs attention. If not, either leave us the hell alone or I'll knock you off that horse." She willed her eyes to flash red, hoping to startle the guy.

It didn't work. He cracked a grin and flicked his cigarette into the snow, then tipped his hat at her.

"That's more like it. Name's Dale."

Sera furrowed her eyebrows, making sure she'd heard right. "Dale? The hell kind of name is that?"

A/N: Introducing my second favorite OC, Dale. Guy has a funny history for me, given that when I use him he's essentially the biggest giga redneck gunslinger I could come up with. (No, not inspired by Red Dead Redemption, but definitely inspired by Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.) Figured the story could use more original characters, so I thought he'd be a nice addition.