Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Weiss Schnee’s father was once again giving her the weekly lecture about how she, of all members of the family, was a disgrace. She wasn’t like them, she couldn’t do what they could do. She was weaker. Weiss stood in her bedroom doorway, the large wooden door being held open by her ignorant father, Jacques Schnee, who was berating his daughter once again.

Weiss hadn’t yet learnt to block out his harsh words, she’d always ponder on them for some time afterwards. She’d still stare at her ceiling and wonder why she wasn’t as strong as her siblings, why she seemed to lack the ability of super strength that they have, that all of the Schnees are supposed to have.

Over the past she’s been able to give herself wings, much like a bats, but larger and fit for her flesh and bone. She was able to fly around the outsides of the castle, which the rest of her family are still able to do. Weiss was still less, even though she met so many of their standards.

“Do you understand me, girl?” Jacques spat at his daughter, glaring at her distant eyes. Weiss nodded. “Yes, Father.” And with that, he left, throwing Weiss’ bedroom door shut.

Weiss sighed and headed towards her large window which gave her the finest view of the endless forest below the tower her room was in. Sitting on the windowsill, she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, assuming a ball position as she admired the tall, green trees. It was pretty much the only thing she can do to relax anymore.

Seeing as she and her family have to isolate themselves from the world, she can rarely leave and explore the forests treasures, as she so much desires to do. But that never stopped her from searching the forest from her window, looking for something that would spike her interests, something that would entertain her for just one moment.

Weiss sat still for at least an hour before realising that the sun would be rising shortly, meaning she’d need to close her window and shut the large wooden door that was connected to it, which prevented any sunlight from entering her bedroom.

She hopped off the windowsill and pulled the window shut. Just as she was about to close the wooden door, she heard a sound. A very distant, very quiet, howling.

Weiss instantly leant over her windowsill and flung open the window, waiting with wide eyes for the howling to come again. She heard it again, louder this time, as if it was moving closer. Weiss looked at the sky. It was slowly getting lighter, but she had enough time to at least check out what the howling was.

Weiss ran over to her bedroom door and locked it, then rushed back over to her window. She slung her feet over the windowsill and took a deep breath before forming her large bat-like wings and soaring down to the forest below.

The wind rippled through her snow white hair and felt chilled on her pale skin, but she loved the feel of the fresh air surrounding her.

Weiss heard the noise again, the loud howling. She knew what it was, a wolf, but where? Suddenly, she saw a few bushes below her rustle and shake, followed by a deep growl. Weiss smiled, not able to hide her excitement for finally finding something worth her time.

She lowered herself and landed reverently on a tree branch, roughly eight metres above where she saw the bushes move. She sat and waited for the wolf to emerge from the spikey bush, but to her surprise, something else did instead.

It was a wolf, yes, but bigger. Much bigger. It had black hair with paws that looked as if they’d been dipped in blood (however they had not been), and the creature had scars all over its body like a man covered in tattoos. But the strangest thing about this wolf was that its eyes were bright silver, almost shining in the dark.

It was a werewolf, or a ‘lycanthrope’ as Weiss’ mother used to call them. They were the vampire’s worst enemies, both species having a very clear history of war and disagreements between them. An immediate idea sprung to life inside of Weiss’ head as she watched the werewolf (in its wolf form, obviously) walk past the tree Weiss was perched in.

She’d kill this werewolf, then bring its dead human form to her father, who would be ever so proud of her that she had done something worth his acknowledgment.

So just like that, Weiss dropped from the branch and landed right on top of the wolf. The wolf barked loudly and threw Weiss off of her, causing Weiss to slam into the dirt ground. She stood up and stared into its silver eyes, which were wide from shock, however it bared its large teeth and stood its ground.

Weiss spread her wings and hissed loudly, still being the taller out of the two. She lunged forward, swiping her nails at the wolf’s eyes as she attempted to manoeuvre her body enough to bite into its neck, but before she could get her fangs to sink into the skin, the wolfs two front paws shoved Weiss off once again.

Weiss was getting frustrated. Not only was her nice light blue clothing being covered in dirt, but her pride was also slowly being diminished. She hissed at the wolf, louder than before, and flew above it before clawing at its neck and trying again to bite down on it. However, before Weiss had the chance to attack the werewolf’s neck, it transformed.

Weiss stumbled and flew backwards, landing on her backside on the ground before standing up and maintaining her dominant position in the fight.

She watched as the wolf slowly shrunk, revealing a small girl, no older than sixteen. She had short brunette hair, red at the tips, which was messy and seemingly unwashed. Her skin was an olive tone, but covered in dirt and scratches, more obviously two fresh cuts on her neck (Weiss knew those were from her teeth that failed to get deep enough into the girls neck).

But what stood out more to Weiss was the girls big, silver eyes, peering into her own and filled with fear.

“Please don’t kill me!” The girl cried, crawling away from Weiss in a hurry, her large red cloak draped out behind her.

Weiss’ wings folded in and slowly moulded into her back, as if they were never there. She looked down at the pleading girl and hesitated for just a moment before striding towards her, exposing her sharp fangs.

“And why should I listen to some werewolf?” Weiss scowled, standing at the girl’s feet. She ignored all the sympathy swelling up inside of her, objecting her mind to her one goal. She needed to kill her, there was no option here.

“I-I didn’t even do anything wrong! What did … What did I do?” The girl flinched, her hand pressed against her neck where the cuts were. She looked up at Weiss, her eyes glossy but still so bright and shining.

Weiss honestly knew this strange girl really didn’t do anything wrong, but she couldn’t exactly explain to her about how she had a constantly disapproving father that she needed to prove herself to.

“You trespassed on my family’s land.” Weiss stood her ground, glaring at the girl, who was just now looking confused. Weiss ignored any of the thoughts she was thinking, she only needed this girl dead, she didn’t need to converse with her (as much as she actually may want to).

“There’s a whole family of vampires here?” She stood up slowly but still edged away from Weiss, her hands in front of her demonstrating a sense of caution.

Weiss rolled her eyes. She shouldn't need to talk with her prey before killing it. She opened her mouth to retaliate with some comeback, but her voice stopped in her throat as a sudden feeling of warmth washed over her body.

Weiss snapped her head to the right, seeing a light glow across the trees and the ground. The sun; it was already rising. Weiss had completely forgotten that before she was trying to kill this girl she was about to turn in because of the sun.

The werewolf girl seemed to realise Weiss’ sudden concern as well. She glanced over to the sun and watched as it slowly inched above the horizon. She turned her head to look at Weiss’ face, noticing how she was now the one filled with fear instead of herself.

Weiss knew she had to leave now otherwise she’d end up a pile of burnt flesh before the humans even ate their breakfasts. Weiss glanced back at the girl, who was watching her with curiosity. Weiss hissed, baring her fangs once more, then shot up into the air.

Weiss let her wings carry her quickly to her bedroom window. As she stumbled inside and quickly shut the wooden door over the window, she sighed. Weiss had blown her chance of trying to impress her father all because of some dumb emotion titled ‘sympathy’ that got in her way. All because she understood the fear she saw in those silver orbs. All because she thought, in a way, the girl looked like she would make quite good company.

Weiss decided to leave her thinking until dusk, when she would wake up from her much-needed sleep. She changed into a blue silk nightgown and climbed into her king-sized bed, pulling the sheets over her shoulders. But as much as she attempted to relax, she found herself only thinking of the fearful werewolf and her astonishing silver eyes.

That stupid werewolf.

Chapter Text

Ruby Rose slowly retraced her steps to the edge of the forest, finding the gravel path that had originally led her here. She knew she’d be in trouble when she arrived home, but she didn’t regret it one bit. She met a vampire. A real vampire. And the vampire she met was exactly as her mother had described them to be, but still different.

The vampire had tried to kill her, yes, but once Ruby was in her human form she had noticed hesitation. Ruby saw in the vampire’s eyes a heart, a part of her that was lonely and sympathetic. Ruby couldn’t stop wondering what would’ve happened if the sun hadn’t risen.

Ruby looked down at her hand and noticed a splotch of blood. She winced, noticing the pain that was radiating from her neck. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply and calmly. The pain subsided and the two cuts on her neck closed, only two scars remaining.

Ruby’s mother taught her how to self-heal, but she wasn’t the best at it. Small cuts and scratches she could turn into scars, but that was all. As much as Ruby tried, she knew she wouldn’t be as talented as her passed mother.

Ruby reached Beacon Village, meaning that her house wasn’t too far away. She walked around the outskirts of the village as to not cause any disturbances to the rest of the villages residents. Her house was just outside the village, not too far.

Once she’d finally reached the small cottage that she lived in (as of a couple days ago), she took a deep breath. She straightened her hair, wiped the blood off of her hand, and then knocked on the oak-wood door.

The door swung open almost immediately after Ruby had knocked. Standing in the doorway was Ruby’s older half-sister, Yang Xiao Long. Her golden mop of hair was messier than usual, which Ruby took as an indication that Yang had also been out that night.

Ruby smiled awkwardly as Yang gave her a disapproving look.

“Rubes, if you’re gonna be out at night at least be back before dad wakes up.” Yang patted Ruby on the shoulder as she walked into the house, the door closing behind her.

“Ruby? Is that you?” A concerned voice rang from the kitchen. Ruby and Yang’s father, Tai, stepped into the small living room. He looked as if he’d just woken up. He saw Ruby and noticed the new scars on her neck.

“Ruby, what did I tell you?” Tai rolled his eyes before embracing his daughter in a tight hug.

“I didn’t mean to get into a fight this time, Dad.” Ruby broke the hug and yawned, ignoring her Dads worried and concerned expression. She’d been exploring the forest all night; and the encounter with that feisty vampire hadn’t exactly gotten rid of her sleepiness.

“What’d you fight this time?” Yang asked before Ruby had the chance to escape to the comfort of her bedroom. Ruby stopped in her tracks. She knew that if she told the truth her dad would most likely go into a protective craze, not allowing Ruby to go out on her own.

“Just some alpha wolf.” Ruby didn’t wait for either Yang or her dad to respond, instead she retreated to her room. After closing the door, she sighed and tilted her head back to lean on the door. Why did she feel the need to keep her encounter with the vampire a secret from Yang, too? She was able to tell Yang anything.

Ruby saw the bright blue eyes of the vampire flashing before her in her mind. They were as cold as ice, but seemed to melt as soon as the sun rose, as soon as she was afraid. What was her deal? She didn’t even need to kill Ruby, yet she clearly tried to, for what seemed to be no apparent reason.

Ruby looked at herself in her mirror, noticing how greasy her hair was and how much dirt was covering her face. She definitely needed to clean herself before she got any sleep.

Ruby’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her bedroom door opening and shutting. Ruby saw in her mirror that Yang had entered her room; her arms were folded and she had a cocky look planted on her face. Ruby turned to face her eighteen-year-old sister and raised a brow.

“Yep, an alpha wolf gave you those two perfectly placed scars.” Yang rested her hands on her hips, “Totally believable.”

Ruby sighed as she felt guilt swell inside her chest. “Okay, okay, I lied.”

Ruby confessed to Yang that she was attacked by a vampire with beautiful white hair and pale skin. Ruby told Yang that she had been aiming for Ruby’s neck, attempting to kill her for no reason. Yang was, of course, concerned, but she didn’t tell Ruby not to go out again. In fact, Yang told Ruby to be more careful.

Yang knew that Ruby was smart enough to not end up killed, probably just battered and bruised. Ruby needed to experience what it is like to deal with the real situations of being a lycanthrope, so Yang was only there to guide her, not to stop her.

“You won’t tell dad, right?” Ruby asked Yang as the blonde had gone to exit the room. Yang stared at Ruby for a moment, debating if she really should tell Tai or not.

“Nah, don’t worry ‘bout that. I won’t tell him.” She winked at Ruby before leaving the room.

After washing up and getting into some clean clothes, Ruby finally was able to get some well-earned rest. As she curled up in her blankets, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining what would’ve happened if she hadn’t gone out the night before. She’d have no idea that any vampire would be near her family, she’d have no desire to go out again that following night.

Eventually, Ruby found herself drifting off, her last thought still being of the white-haired vampire and how she was definitely going to be seeing her again that night.

Weiss was sitting in her windowsill once again, waiting. She yearned to hear the howling of the werewolf once again, but she pushed that thought deep down inside and chose to ignore its irrationality. She didn’t have time for any stupid thoughts.

But as the hours passed, Weiss grew restless and impatient. She wanted to have something to do, whether that be killing that werewolf or befriending her, she didn’t seem to care at this point.

Weiss, her desires getting the best of her, decided to look for the lycanthrope herself. She refused to let last night be the one and only time that something interesting had finally happened to her.

She flew out of her window, her wings flapping silently in the night sky. You’re just as stupid as the werewolf, Weiss’ mind criticised her, but she ignored it. She needed to find this girl. Why? She wasn’t so sure.

Weiss soared above the trees, waiting for any sign of movement. She can’t remember the last time she felt this reckless, this desperate. She couldn’t stop her mind from thinking about this girl, so what’s the point of even trying to block it out anymore?

Weiss’ thoughts were interrupted by a familiar howling sound. It was coming from Weiss’ left, so she followed it. Every time she heard the howl, she flew to where the sound came from. Once Weiss had finally spotted the large black and red wolf prowling around the trees she felt her heart skip a beat.

Weiss let her wings fold into her back as she landed directly behind the wolf, her feet gracefully landing on the dirt below. The wolf’s ears pricked up and she spun around, staring directly into the eyes of the vampire from the night before. Weiss didn’t move, instead she glared at the silver irises before her.

The wolf then began to shrink, slowly morphing into her human form. The adorable girl from the night before was now in the wolf’s place, her hair looking noticeably cleaner this time. Weiss crossed her arms and continued to inspect the girl’s appearance. She was clearly a lycanthrope. Her scars pretty much gave it away.

Weiss was tempted to kill the girl right then and there, but a small part of her wanted to converse with her. Maybe it was because Weiss was lonely and ached for contact with someone without the Schnee title upon them. Or maybe it was because Weiss wanted to play with her prey before finishing it off.

“Give me one reason not to kill you.” Weiss growled, her fangs exposed. The wolf girl gulped and pushed her chest out slightly, trying to maintain a confident posture.

“You hesitated last night when you tried to kill me, why should I be afraid of you now?” The girl suddenly grew confidence, and Weiss noticed this. Weiss noticed how the girl’s posture had become stronger, how her stance had become more certain. Weiss’ chest swelled with a strange feeling.

The girl spoke again, “I just want to talk. No fighting.” Her eyes were flooded with so many different emotions that Weiss couldn’t pinpoint which she was feeling. Weiss didn’t understand why anyone would want to talk to her. She was a vampire, after all.

“And why would you want to do such a thing?” Weiss scowled. She honestly expected this girl to be as reckless as her species seemed to be. She expected this girl to challenge her to a fight, or to not even show up near the forest ever again.

“Vampires aren’t exactly open to any relationships outside of their families… don’t you think you need, well, a friend?” Weiss saw the girl cringe at the words she spoke, but that didn’t stop her from extending her hand, expecting a handshake.

Weiss glanced at the hand held out before her. It had a large scar across the palm, leading to a couple more scars along the wrist. Weiss’ mind was flowing with different thoughts. Should she shake the girl’s hand? Should she accept her as a… friend? How is it that this girl knew Weiss didn’t have anyone else to talk to?

The werewolf didn’t let her hand drop from its current position, she had a soft (yet awkward) smile on her face. A part of Weiss wanted to grab the girls hand and break it, giving her the advantage to grab her and kill her. The other part of Weiss wanted to give in to the girls intriguing smile and learn what her name was.

Before Weiss could even decide what she wanted to do, she found her hand already shaking the other girls firmly. Weiss cleared her throat and pulled her hand away.

Weiss saw the girl tense as she waited for her to speak. Weiss found herself smirking. This girl was still frightened by her. It was almost cute.

“Well, go on, then. Tell me your name.” Weiss lifted up her chin, refusing to act kind just yet. She saw the wolf girl lose her perfect posture for just a moment before answering her.

“I’m Ruby. What’s your name?” Ruby. Weiss found herself becoming fond of the name already.

“My name is Weiss.” Weiss crossed her arms and raised a brow. She really didn’t expect this ‘friend’ to last very long. Once she told her father about this werewolf, he’d hunt her and her family down before she could even cry for help.

“That’s a nice name.” Ruby smiled widely, which surprised Weiss. Weiss felt her cheeks flush slightly, but quickly forced her intimidating expression to return to her face once more.

“I suppose it is.” Weiss felt her cheeks flush again as she made eye contact with Ruby. She wasn’t liking the feeling of having a friend; it gave her weird sensations in her chest and her cheeks. It was so unfamiliar to her.

“Well, um.” Ruby looked down at her twiddling thumbs. She kicked the dirt with her foot and looked up to meet Weiss’ gaze. “Would you like to explore the forest with me until the sun comes up?”

Weiss’ eyes widened slightly. It’s like Ruby knew exactly what Weiss had dreamt of doing every day, but she’d always been held back by the pressure of her family. She had to stay inside, had to hide herself so no one knew that they were there. But this girl, who appeared so suddenly, now wishes to do as Weiss does?

Ruby shifted nervously. If she said the wrong thing, she knew that Weiss could end her life right here. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do.” Weiss blurted as she calmed her fast breathing. Ruby beamed at Weiss, clearly excited that she had accepted her invitation. Weiss smiled only slightly, but Ruby still noticed.

As the two girls quietly walked through the forest together, Weiss began to forget about telling her father of Ruby. Weiss’ plan only twenty minutes ago was to tell her father about this werewolf and to get praise in reward, but now, she felt like she needed to keep her a secret.

She’d only just found some company, she didn’t want it to be gone so soon.

Chapter Text

The next few nights followed the same routine. Wake up at dusk, explore the forest together, go back at dawn, sleep, and repeat. Weiss and Ruby grew quite fond of each other, but they were still yet to scratch the surface of their true selves around each other.

Yang noticed that Ruby had begun to sleep during the day and not eat much. She noticed that Ruby would leave at night once their dad was asleep and return shortly before he woke up. Yang wasn’t stupid. She knew Ruby had become friends with the vampire she mentioned a couple of days ago. She just wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing yet.

Weiss’ older sister, Winter, also began noticing changes in her sisters behaviour. She noticed that Weiss rarely spoke to her anymore, that she seemed to lock her door almost all of the time now. But Winter decided not to pry. It was her sister; although she lacked the ability of strength that the rest of the family had, she was still intimidating to any regular human or animal. It wasn’t as if Winter had been completely involved with her family all of the time anyway.

Weiss and Ruby were roaming the forest together for the fifth time. Ruby had learnt how to make Weiss smile, and Weiss had learnt the topics that she shouldn’t raise in conversation around Ruby. They were slowly learning new things every night.

It was a cloudy night, the stars being completely covered in dark grey puffs. The wind was cool yet soft, giving Weiss a refreshed feeling as she wondered past large trees and plants with her new friend. It was close to morning, however the girls continued to spend every last minute they could in the forest.

“Weiss, I found a bird!” Ruby cried out as she ran over to the base of a tree. Weiss picked up her pace as she, too, came to inspect the bird Ruby had spotted.

It was a baby bird, barely having any feathers on its body. Its high-pitched squawking was quite annoying, yet Ruby picked it up and cradled it softly. Weiss only watched as the bird continued to be quite loud.

“It must’ve fallen from its nest in the tree!” Ruby pouted and pet the bird gently, peering up at the tree that the two were standing next to.

“What a shame.” Weiss stated sarcastically. The baby bird was annoying, and only made Weiss think about how hungry she was. A bird would be good right about now; the blood would taste quite fresh coming from a free animal such as a bird.

“Weiss, can you take it back up to its nest?” Ruby looked at Weiss with pleading eyes, similar to the look she gave Weiss when she was trying to kill her only a few nights ago. Weiss’ gaze returned to the baby bird. She could almost hear its blood flowing throughout its body. But it wouldn’t be enough. If she found the mother bird…

“Sure, Ruby.” Weiss took the chirping chick into her hands and formed her large bat wings. She slowly rose into the air and inspected each tree branch looking for a nest. Her eyes spotted a small bundle of twigs and sticks, accompanied by three more baby birds and a mother.

Weiss felt her stomach squeeze as she watched the mother bird breath in and out, its blood pumping all around its body. Sure, a bird isn’t a very filling meal, but it would be enough.

Weiss placed the chick besides its three siblings, then swiftly grabbed the mother bird so that it couldn’t fly away. It awoke and began screeching immediately, startling Weiss slightly.

“Weiss? What’s going on?” Ruby called out to Weiss from the forest floor. Weiss rolled her eyes. If Ruby found out that Weiss killed a bird with four baby chicks, she’d never forgive her.

Weiss let go of the bird and watched as it sat beside her chicks, covering them with her wings and squawking at Weiss. Weiss sighed, her stomach feeling even tighter and emptier. She slowly flew down to Ruby and let her wings mould into her back.

“Sorry,” Weiss mumbled guiltily, “I tried to take the mother bird.”

Ruby gasped and looked up at the tree branches, trying to see where the nest was to check if the birds were all okay. “Why would you do that?”

“I’m… hungry.” Weiss watched Ruby as she realised what Weiss’ intention was.

Weiss always made sure to keep vials of blood on her, which she would drink before and after meeting up with Ruby. But she had been drinking a lot less than usual, she couldn’t blame herself for wanting a small snack.

“Okay, um, well,” Ruby nervously looked at Weiss, noticing that she had a stern look in her icy eyes that wasn’t usually there. “We’ll find another animal. Not a mother though. Baby animals need their mothers.” Weiss nodded and followed Ruby as she marched off, their new mission to find food.

Ruby had turned to her wolf form, saying to Weiss that it’s easier for her to hunt in that form. Weiss watched as Ruby sniffed the ground for any trail that would lead them to a small rodent that would satisfy Weiss’ needs. Ruby wouldn’t admit it to Weiss, but she was a bit afraid that if she failed to find Weiss a snack, she would have to pay the price.

Ruby began to pick up on the smell of a rabbit. She pricked her ears and listened intently. She could hear it, only a few metres away, nibbling on a plant in a bush. Weiss noticed Ruby’s ears twitch and freeze, so she remained still, knowing Ruby had found something. Weiss was willing to do anything Ruby wanted to just have a small snack.

Ruby slowly crawled towards where she knew the rabbit was, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She lowered her head, bent her legs, and then pounced.

Within seconds, the rabbit was in-between Ruby’s teeth, struggling to get out of her grip. Ruby turned to Weiss and walked over to her, holding her jaw forward to hand Weiss the rodent. Weiss’ eyes shone with hunger as she grabbed the rabbit’s abdomen and held it up to her mouth.

Weiss opened her mouth wide, exposing her sharp fangs that were aching for the sensation of piercing through the rodent’s skin.

Ruby returned to her human form and watched in awe (and also disgust) as Weiss’ teeth sunk into the rabbit’s neck. She watched as Weiss (literally) sucked the life out of the animal, its skin looking thin and its body going limp and motionless. Blood dripped down Weiss’ chin, leaving spots of red on the dirt ground.

Weiss put the rabbit’s lifeless body on the ground and wiped her mouth. The blood of rodents like rabbits have always tasted skinnier and quite bitter, but it was satisfying all the same.

Weiss looked at Ruby and instantly felt a sense of embarrassment. Ruby looked stunned, her mouth was agape and her eyes wide, but she quickly regained her posture when she saw Weiss staring. Weiss cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Sorry, I don’t usually eat that sloppily.” Weiss looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

“No, it’s okay, I’ve just never seen a vampire eat at all.” Weiss nodded as Ruby smiled reassuringly. But Weiss couldn’t help but feel like she should hide her real vampire tendencies from Ruby. She suddenly felt embarrassed, like she was abnormal and weird.

Ruby noticed Weiss’ embarrassment and smiled kindly. She placed her hand on Weiss’ elbow and tugged her slightly towards her. “Come on, let’s—“

Ruby was interrupted when she saw a bright yellow light shine upon the two girls. It wasn’t long before Ruby and Weiss realised that they had both forgotten about time completely. The sun was already half risen, bright yellow rays shining upon them past the trees. They had gotten distracted with Weiss' hunger to pay attention.

Weiss felt hot, to say the least. Her entire body was flooded with a warmth so uncomfortably unfamiliar, like she should be sweating but wasn’t. She felt her skin stinging on the surface and felt a headache slowly coming on.

Ruby grabbed Weiss’ wrist and tried to lead her towards a large tree. Weiss could hide in its shadow. But when Ruby pulled on Weiss’ arms, her knees gave way and she collapsed on the ground.

“Weiss! No, come on, just get up and you can go back to the castle!” Ruby tried to help Weiss stand up, but it was no use as Weiss’ skin began to blanch and turn a reddish hue. Ruby didn’t have a choice in this situation but to get Weiss to the nearest place that would be safe for the both of them.

Weiss hears Ruby’s voice echoing in her head, then she felt like she was being lifted off the ground, like she was flying. It was only a few seconds later that Weiss let her mind fall into the darkness and warmth that surrounded her consciousness.

Ruby took her red cloak off and wrapped it around Weiss as she hoisted her up into her arms. Surely the cloak would at least stop the sun’s rays from damaging Weiss’ skin so badly?

Ruby tucked the cloak over Weiss and ran east, where she knew Beacon Village would be. Ruby would be a lot faster in her wolf form, but there was no way she’d be able to keep Weiss’ skin protected in that process. So instead, she ran as fast as her human body could.

Ruby ignored her burning lungs that were aching for air. She ignored the aching in her thighs as she continued to run. She was at the village now, her house was so close.

Ruby finally reached her house and kicked the door over and over, impatiently waiting for Yang to open it from inside. “It’s Ruby! Open the door, quick!” She yelled as she continued to kick the door loudly.

The door clicked open and Yang appeared, her blonde hair not looking any better than the last time she opened the door to Ruby early in the morning.

“Yeah, yeah, be patient—“ Yang froze when she saw that Ruby was carrying something, well, someone, in her cloak.

Ruby pushed past Yang and quickly ran over to the living room couch, gently placing Weiss down. She ran around the room, pulling all the curtains shut on all the windows. The room was now dark and free of any sunlight, making it safe for Ruby to take her red cloak off of Weiss.

Ruby saw how Weiss’ skin was noticeably redder than her usual pale colour, but it wasn’t horribly burnt. Weiss would be okay after some rest, hopefully. Ruby sighed and put her hand to Weiss’ forehead. It was boiling hot, as if Weiss had just caught a vicious fever.

Ruby was snapped out of her worried trance when she noticed Yang staring at Weiss in awe.

“R-Ruby, is that the vampire you told me about?” Yang was frozen, staring at Weiss’ white hair and flushed skin. She glanced at Ruby for a moment, then back at the unconscious vampire lying on her couch.

“Yes, it is. Yang, this is Weiss. The sun came up and she got burnt.” Ruby sat at the end of the couch and rubbed the back of her neck, unsure if Yang was going to lecture her or be amazed. Ruby hoped it was the latter.

“Ruby, you’re so lucky dad is in Vacuo right now!” Yang scowled as she hit Ruby on the back of the head. Yang was right; Ruby was extremely lucky. Tai had left for Vacuo the previous day to visit Qrow Branwen, the girls’ uncle, who was currently doing some work in Vacuo.

Ruby rubbed the back of her head where Yang had hit her. She didn’t care if this made Yang annoyed or upset, her friend had been in danger. Ruby had always been protective of her friends and family, so Yang shouldn’t even be surprised.

“We just need to keep her here until the sun goes down, that’s all.” Ruby said to Yang.

Yang rolled her eyes dramatically before smiling mischievously and nodding her head, “Fine. But only if Blake can hang around, though.”

Ruby turned to face Yang, confusion painted across her face. Blake was basically a member of the girls' family by now. She was a cat faunus, but the kind of rare faunus that can transform into the animal that they identified with. As if right on cue, a black cat appeared from the hallway and lept onto the kitchen bench next to where Yang was standing.

“I can’t exactly say no if she’s already here.” Ruby chuckled, standing up to pet Blake gently behind the ears. Yang shrugged and smiled.

Ruby sighed as she looked over at Weiss, who was peacefully passed out still. Ruby’s silver eyes flickered with a spot of light. She’d do her very best to keep Weiss safe while she was here.

That’s what friends are for, right?

Chapter Text

Weiss slowly felt herself being pulled back into consciousness, her eyelids slowly lifting. She didn’t see any light, which was good, she’d had enough of that already. Her entire body felt like it was writhing, she could tell her skin was burnt already by just the feel of it.

She sighed, making a mental note to keep a pocket-watch on her at all times. Surely she couldn’t have been so distracted as to not even notice the sun rising?

Weiss sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings. She was in a small room which had only one window (even with the curtains shut, Weiss new it was night). She was tucked into a small bed with a red quilt and a grey pillow behind her head.

Scanning the room, she noticed things in it that, no doubt, belonged to Ruby.

There was a brown set of drawers which had three photo frames and some small figurines placed on top. There was a heap of clothes scattered all around the floor as well as a ukulele that was facing upside down.

Weiss pulled the quilt back and stood up. She couldn’t stop her curiosity as it took over her body, moving her towards the picture frames on the set of drawers.

One of them was a photo of a much younger Ruby and another young girl with blonde pigtails and a missing tooth. They had their arms around each other, laughing. It must’ve been Ruby’s sister, Yang. Ruby had told Weiss about her.

The other photo was of Ruby still, looking maybe a year younger than now, with another woman standing next to her. The woman in the photo looked almost identical to Ruby except way older, in her thirties possibly. Weiss wasn’t stupid. She recognised this woman as Ruby’s mother.

And finally the third framed photo included four people, looking significantly young. There was Ruby, who in the photo was smiling widely, Yang, who was holding a black cat in her arms, then a tall man with messy blonde hair (who Weiss assumed was the girls’ father) and the woman from the past photo who looked much alike Ruby.

Weiss sighed. Ruby had spoken of her father and sister, but not her mother. Weiss wasn’t too distant to not understand that something had happened to Ruby’s mother. But Weiss decided she wouldn’t bring it up, not until her and Ruby’s friendship continued for a bit longer. Now just wasn’t the time.

It was the time, however, for Weiss to find Ruby and thank her for looking after her. She felt an anxious fluttering in her stomach as she thought of her father wondering where she would be, but ignored it.

She slowly opened the bedroom door and peered her head around the corner. The room she was in was located at the end of a small hallway, which led out into a living room and a kitchen. Weiss didn’t hear anyone so assumed that the residents of the house were asleep and that it was safe to wonder. 

Weiss treaded slowly down the hallway and past three closed doors. She reached the open space of the house; on her left a few couches and on her right a kitchen. It was a lovely small house. Weiss enjoyed the sense of cosiness it provided, much unlike her families empty castle.

Weiss walked into the kitchen, admiring at the cute bowls and cups. She can’t remember the last time she saw these human utensils, but she always took a liking to them.

As she continued to analyse the objects in the kitchen, Weiss heard movement from behind her. She turned around, but saw no one there. It wasn’t until she heard a small mewl that she looked down to the ground and spotted a black cat.

Weiss stared into the cats yellow eyes, as if she was daring it to come any closer. Weiss’ family usually drank the blood from cats each as a meal. Weiss felt her fangs aching to feel the puncture of skin. How hungry she felt… she hadn’t eaten in around sixteen hours.

Weiss shook her head and snapped herself out of her thoughts. It took her a few seconds to realise that the black cat was no nowhere to be seen. Weiss looked around on the floor, expecting to find two bright yellow eyes looking back at her, but was quite startled when her gaze landed on two bare feet instead.

Weiss immediately shot her head up. She found herself face-to-face with a human girl she’d never seen before, and had never been told about by Ruby.

The girl was tall, almost a head taller than Weiss, and had long black hair and tanned skin. She looked quite fit, leaving Weiss to wonder how she hadn’t seen this girl when she first entered the kitchen. Weiss noticed that she had two black cat ears perched above her head. How could she have missed that detail? And her eyes.

Clear yellow eyes, gazing into her own. The same as the cat from just two minutes ago.

Why is it always the eyes that stay the same?  Weiss thought, thinking back to when she’d first seen Ruby as a human with her shining silver orbs.

“You’re Weiss, I assume.” The girl spoke. Her blank face expression did not falter.

Weiss straightened her back, trying to look at least a tiny bit taller than her usual height (which was quite short for her species, she’ll admit).

“I don’t know who you are.” Weiss stated, noticing how she had to crook her neck to make eye contact with this cat faunus.

The stranger smiled faintly and nodded, “I’m Blake Belladonna.” Weiss nodded in the same fashion Blake had.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Blake.” Weiss said. She cleared her throat. There was something about this girl that made her feel as if she was just a human, just a girl with no powers or unique species to be proud of.

“Likewise.” Blake spoke, her black cat ears twitching. “Yang and Ruby are both asleep. I prefer to be awake during the night, though.”

Weiss nodded awkwardly. She’d never communicated with anyone outside of her family except for Ruby, and that alone was a struggle. She wouldn’t exactly call herself anti-social, more like deprived of any friendships.

Weiss desperately wished to just speak to Ruby, thank her, and then return to the silence of her cold room, just for a while. She didn’t like how Blake, being taller than herself, made her feel like not only her height was small, but her pride as well.

Blake noticed Weiss’ uncomfortable body language and chuckled. She’d honestly expected Weiss to be tall, perhaps her own height, and buoyant and suave. Perhaps she was just shy before really revealing herself.

Blake lifted a toned arm and pointed to the living room couches, “Ruby’s asleep over there.” She watched Weiss’ eyes flash and her head spin around, looking for the small girl who was fast asleep. Blake smiled softly.

Weiss found herself wondering over to the couches, her teeth grimacing at how she’d awkwardly walked away from the tall faunus. She found Ruby lying down with no blankets, only a cushion propped behind her head. Weiss didn’t want to wake her, so instead she sat down on the second smaller couch in the room and waited patiently.

Weiss was good at being patient. Most nights she would sit in her room and wait for something interesting to happen. Either that or she’d aimlessly meander around the castle. She wouldn’t admit it to her, but Ruby was the best thing to happen to her. And to think I tried to kill her, Weiss thought to herself, a faint smile resting on her face.

Blake slowly opened Yang’s door. She didn’t care much if Yang woke up, it was Ruby who was way more exhausted and needed sleep. So Blake told herself to be quieter around the house pretty much just for Ruby’s sake.

Blake entered Yang’s room and soon enough crawled under the warm sheets of Yang’s bed. What she’d said to Weiss was true; she did prefer sleeping during the day. However, Yang always radiated endless amounts of warmth that Blake hated to resist. Even if she just laid down next to Yang sleepless, she was still snug and satisfied.

It had only been about three years ago that Blake had stumbled across Yang and the rest of her family. Although Blake had been, in some way or another, adopted into the family, she grew up to act almost like a human house-cat. She’d come and go whenever she’d please, sometimes not returning for the night, but she always came back in the end.

Coming back to the present, Blake sighed loudly, her breath smoothly being sucked all the way in to her belly button and then back out through her mouth.

She was quite confused about the entire ‘vampire situation’ that had been going on with Ruby. Blake hadn’t exactly been informed, she’d only picked up on things that Yang had said in conversation.

It was one thing Yang did that annoyed Blake a bit; she’d casually mention things as if Blake already knew them, not bothering to tell her the issues or situations properly. All Blake knew so far was that Ruby had been sleeping less, eating less, and talking to Yang less because of a vampire girl that had tried to kill her few nights ago.

Blake, after meeting aforementioned vampire girl, had been pondering what was so scary about her. Sure, she was shorter than herself, but that meant she was also shorter than Yang, and Ruby would be around the same height as her. But Blake shouldn’t use height as a way to measure scariness.

Blake thought that Weiss must have a side of herself that is more in-depth with her vampire instincts that came out when she was possibly angry, upset, or even hungry. If that were true, it wouldn’t surprise Blake.

And behold, Blake was correct. Weiss was still sitting down on the living room couch patiently waiting for her friend to wake from her slumber when she noticed that she’d grown quite hungry.

Hunger. Isn’t that what began this entire feud with Weiss being burnt by the sun in the first place? She’d gotten hungry, then she’d gotten distracted because of said hunger. Weiss groaned. It was stupid how she could be completely fine one minute then desperately begging her body to feed on blood the next.

As Weiss clutched her famished stomach, Ruby’s eyelids slowly opened, her whole body stretching in a cat-like fashion. She yawned loudly but quickly blushed the moment she realised Weiss was watching her. Then she jumped up and moved towards Weiss, eager to see if she was okay from the incident that occurred not even twenty-four hours ago.

“I’m okay, Ruby, the sun just burnt my skin a bit.” Weiss lifted her arms to show Ruby the reddish tone that had replaced her usually pale colour. Ruby looked anxiously at Weiss but managed a smile.

“All right, good!” Ruby stretched her arms above her head and yawned again. But Weiss’ eyes were too focused on the faint vein she saw on Ruby’s neck to hear what she’d said. Weiss could almost hearing the blood pumping throughout the small girl’s body. She forced her eyes to avoid Ruby’s neck, her stomach slowly becoming more and more demanding.

“I really am glad you’re okay.” Ruby was staring intently into Weiss’ cold eyes, her own eyes looking kind and sincere. Weiss’ hunger seemed to vanish instantaneously as she felt an unwelcomed warmth in her chest, startling her a bit. Weiss stood up abruptly.

“I’m, um, really hungry. And you know I get restless when I’m hungry…” Weiss avoided looking at Ruby at all. The warmth in her chest faded away, but it was strange. There was no sun or warm light anywhere, so where did the warmness even come from? Maybe Weiss was more damaged by the sun than she originally thought?

Ruby shifted timidly. Vampires drink blood, and Ruby had a lot of blood in her. If she didn’t find some blood for Weiss to have then maybe she’d end up turning on her? Surely a friend wouldn’t do that… but a vampire?

“Well, where am I supposed to get you blood?” Ruby asked, trying not to let her nerves be heard in her voice.

“Yeah, we don’t exactly keep bags of blood hanging around.” A voice resonated from the hallway entrance. Yang was in her pyjamas and rubbing her eyes, clearly still tired, but she had a toothy smile on her face. Blake slipped past her and into the kitchen, serving herself a cup of fresh water.

Weiss hadn’t actually met Yang before, only seen her pictures and been told about her by Ruby. Was she a lycanthrope, too? Blake wasn’t, but then again Blake didn’t seem like she was related to either one of the girls or their parents which she saw in Ruby’s photo frames.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to catch a mouse or two for you, Weiss.” Blake stated as she handed her cup of water to Yang who finished it off. “If you’d like that?”

Weiss nodded politely, “That would be adequate, thank you.”

And so Blake had disappeared out into the night in her cat form, leaving Ruby, Yang and Weiss to talk amongst themselves.

But unbeknownst to all four of the girls, Jacques Schnee was growing quite suspicious of the fact that her lovely middle child had not come out of her room for her night-time meal like she usually did.

Then, his suspicions were confirmed when he found the girls room empty, her window swinging open in the cold wind of the night.

Jacques Schnee was going to find his daughter.

Chapter Text

Ruby and Weiss waved goodbye to Yang and Blake, finally heading out into the chilly night air to return the vampire home. Weiss was really quite grateful for the mice Blake had hunted for her, and Yang was a very light-hearted girl even if her jokes were lacking proper humour (although Ruby seem to find her quite amusing).

Weiss, to say the least, felt very delighted. She had never been around such a family like Ruby’s; laughing, caring, genuinely happy. A real family, even with humour. Weiss couldn’t remember the last time a joke was made in her family.

Ruby noticed Weiss’ soft smile that had been on her face as the two walked in comfortable silence around the village and towards the forest. It made her happy that Weiss was happy, and even happier when Weiss was happy because of her own family.

“So, do you feel much better?” Ruby asked Weiss, her step having a hint of bounciness in it as she walked in sync with the white-haired girl.

“What do you mean?” Asked Weiss, listening contently to the crunching of her footsteps on the gravel and admiring the cloud covered sky.

“Do you feel better since you passed out in the sunlight?” Ruby asked again, slowing down her words as if Weiss was someone foreign knowing little English.

Weiss had almost forgotten about the entire sun incident. She’d forgotten that she’d passed out, that she’d been burnt. She had just been soaking up the joyful moments in Ruby’s house.

“Of course I do. Thank you for taking me to your home.” Weiss smiled warmly at Ruby. Ruby, slightly surprised at how wide Weiss’ smile was, smiled so much at Weiss that she giggled.

Ruby hopped over a log lying in the middle of the path. “Oh don’t mention it, you were a friend in need!”

Weiss felt the warmness filling her chest again, her smile dwindling somewhat. They were in utter darkness—why did her chest feel so heated up? What was wrong with her?

Ruby sighed lightly, but in a happy way. She wished Weiss could hang around her family all of the time, it would be fun. I mean, they took Blake in, so why not Weiss? That way her family could be filled with lycanthrope, faunus and also a vampire! Such an amazing and diverse family it would become. And Weiss could meet Ruby’s dad, too, although he may not be so fond of the fact she’s a vampire at first.

Then, out of nowhere, Ruby began to tense up. She felt her muscles tighten and her bubbly walk began to slow down and become stiff. Her eyes began to ache, like she was staring directly into the sun. But her eyes couldn’t be hurting from a bright light, it was night time, only the moon was out.

The moon. The cloudy sky had been spared of the endless amount of clouds and all of a sudden a large white orb was perched in the sky, shining brightly upon Ruby and Weiss. Of all nights, tonight was a full moon.

“Ruby?” Weiss had noticed Ruby slowing down her pace and looking rather apprehensive.

Ruby’s head snapped to face Weiss hurriedly, but soon felt her vision fading as her body tensed and morphed into the large wolf form Weiss was familiar with. But this time, Ruby was gone. It was just the wolf, freaked and growling at the peculiar white-haired girl in front of her.

Weiss stood still, confused and stunned, until she too had realised the full moon was uncovered by the clouds and shining upon the forest. Her mind instantly went blank of any ideas of what to do. What could she do? There seemed to be nothing to fix this at all.

Weiss took a few unsure steps towards Ruby, holding her hands in front of her as if to tame a rabid beast. Ruby (well, she wasn’t exactly ‘Ruby’ anymore) growled and bared her sharp fangs. Weiss stopped moving altogether.

They were right outside the village. If someone were to turn their head in this direction they would easily register what was going on; they would see a werewolf out of control and a nervous vampire trying to control it. An idea sprouted in Weiss’ mind.

Weiss formed her dark wings and hovered about a metre or two off the ground. Ruby didn’t seem to like that; she barked loudly and growled even more. Weiss needed to get Ruby away from the village and deep into the forest.

Weiss turned around and began flying low near the ground towards the mass of tall oak trees, Ruby bounding behind her. Weiss dodged trees swiftly as Ruby trailed slowly behind her, snarling fiercely and trying to get closer. Weiss was surprised with how fast the wolf was able to run.

As soon as Weiss and the trailing wolf behind her reached the centre of the forest Weiss halted and flapped her wings steadily in one place. Ruby was growling and bearing her teeth beneath her, smart enough to know that attempting to jump and paw at Weiss was a waste of energy.

Weiss’ mind was racing. She watched Ruby below her glaring at her, waiting for her to lower herself to the ground just a bit more so she could strike. Weiss should be in her room by now, pretending with her family as if she was there the whole time. She shouldn’t have been gone this long.

“Weiss Schnee,” A voice that Weiss had grown to fear resonated from behind her, “What do you think you are doing?”

Weiss turned to face her left and saw the tall pale figure of her father flying in the air three metres from her, his wings stretching out wider than Weiss’ own. A smug expression was torn over his face and his eyes shone with fury.

Weiss’ eyes widened. Her wings faltered for just a moment, her body lowering towards Ruby slightly. The wolf leapt up trying to bite Weiss but failed as the latter had returned to her stable distance from the ground.

“I asked you a question, young lady.” Jacques Schnee scowled at Weiss.

“I saw this wolf, I wanted to kill it and bring it to you.” Weiss felt her lungs deflating; she had been holding her breath since she spotted her father. She looked him dead in the eyes.

“Kill it? It looked to me as if you were just running from it.” He raised a white eyebrow in suspicion.

“To lure it away from the village.” Weiss retorted, her heart beating faster by the second.

“The village? Why were you all,” Jacques proceeded closer to Weiss, “the way in the village?”

Weiss stiffened. She glanced down at Ruby whose legs were bent and in position to pounce when the right moment drew near; she seemed to be more on edge now that a second vampire had appeared.

Jacques noticed Weiss’ shifted eyes and observed at the black and red wolf. He scowled.

“That is a werewolf!” Jacques bared his fangs and lowered himself to the ground, advancing towards the large wolf who began to creep backwards.

“Father, no!” Weiss shouted as she landed on the ground between Ruby and her father, her hands and wings out at her sides in an attempt to protect the werewolf.

“Why would you protect such a beast?” Jacques yelled. His bat-like wings extended from his sides and he stalked closer to Weiss.

Weiss shook her head slowly and willed as much as she could that Ruby would turn and run away, but the wolf stayed put, growling at the figures in front of her, refusing to attack out of fear. Jacques was fuming, leaving Weiss’ arms to shake slightly in fear. She could never stand up to her father, how could she now?

“Move aside, young lady.” Jacques spoke with his teeth clenched and his hands in fists.

“No.” Weiss forced her arms to stay still and removed any expression of fear from her face. “You’re not going to hurt her.”

Jacques yelled angrily and before Weiss could process what was happening she had been grabbed tightly around the neck by her father. Ruby, agitated by the sudden action before her, growled and pounced at the two vampires, her jaws wide and her teeth bared, but before she could grab one of the figures they had shot up into the air.

Jacques’ strong wings held up him and Weiss, who was struggling for air, as he flew them back to the Schnee’s castle. Weiss tried to pry her father’s hands off of her neck. She was struggling to get air into her system, and she was finding it hard to find the strength to even use her wings to escape from the stronger vampire.

Jacques threw Weiss into her bedroom via her window. She landed on the floor with a thud and found herself gasping for air as she rubbed her sore neck. Jacques’ wings folded into her back as he approached Weiss and pulled her up from the ground. Weiss tried to get airborne once more and escape, but her father was one step ahead of her. Jacques grabbed both his daughter’s wings, not allowing them to move.

“You’re coming with me.” Jacques scowled through clenched teeth.

Jacques pulled Weiss out of her bedroom and led her down the long, dark hallway of the castle. He dragged her over to a wing of the castle that Weiss was never allowed to venture into. He continued to grip onto Weiss’ wings, leaving her to stumble and have no other choice but to just follow her father. How could she attack him in this situation? He has every ounce of dominance over her and more power; Weiss could only give in.

After being led down a long stairwell that had opened into a dark corridor, Weiss was thrown into yet another room. This room was completely dark; no windows, no light, and no way of escape other than the door right in front of her.

Weiss stood and stared at her father standing in the doorway. His silhouette was all she could see from the light radiating from the stone-walled corridor behind him. His eyes were glowing noticeably. Weiss’ wings retracted as she began to feel immensely exhausted.

“You’ll be staying here until you learn your lesson.” Jacques spoke.

“And what lesson is that, father?” Weiss grimaced.

“You are not permitted to leave this castle. Ever.”

The heavy door slammed shut, leaving Weiss in complete and utter darkness. She listened to the clicking on the other side of the door, the sound of large locks being shut. She knew now that she was trapped. She could try to bust the door down… yes, that would work.

But Weiss had been overruled by her sudden exhaustion that she found it hard to even stand, to even sit, to even hold her heavy eyelids open. Weiss slid to the cold floor and let her body go limp with fatigue. She let her eyelids close. She had never felt so tired in her entire life; why now could she no longer continue?

Weiss’ mind fogged and became blank and empty. There was nothing left for her to do now except embrace the calming comfort of complete nothingness.

Chapter Text

Ruby shaded her eyes with her hands after having been exposed to the bright sun somewhat suddenly. She didn’t expect to wake up to the sun right above her, what happened to the roof of her bedroom? And why was her bed so uncomfortable?

She sat up and looked around her. She was in the middle of the forest and had been asleep on the dirt and sticks. Her clothes were tattered and her stomach felt so empty it may as well be devouring itself from the inside.

“What the…” Ruby mumbled to herself. She could’ve sworn she had taken Weiss back to her castle and bidden her farewell.

Ruby rubbed her temples with her hands as she crossed her legs. She closed her eyes and forced herself to think hard, to remember what happened to her and why she couldn’t remember distinctly saying goodbye to Weiss.

Flashes of fuzzy memories slowly played in Ruby’s head like a film. She could barely remember it, but she could see the full moon. She saw Weiss with her wings outstretched and arms out, standing in front of her. What was she doing? Ruby thought harder and harder but… it was gone.

It was a full moon -- how could Ruby have forgotten? She hit herself in the side of the head and sighed. She ruined a calm night with Weiss by letting her werewolf instincts take over. What did Weiss do once she was in her wolf form? What if she was now afraid of Ruby after last night?

Ruby ignored her thoughts and decided to make her way home instead.

After walking for what seemed like a lifetime, Ruby finally made it back to her small (yet cosy) house. She rapped the door hard, impatient after just waking up in a not-so-great environment. The door swung open revealing Blake, wearing a white button-up shirt and black trousers.

“Where’ve you been exactly?” She asked in a nonchalant tone. Ruby shrugged.

“Uh, well, turns out it was a full moon last night.” She grinned awkwardly.

Blake nodded casually. “I know. Yang was quite insistent on going to find you but—“

“But somebody wouldn’t let me leave the house.” Yang had appeared next to Blake, leaning on the doorway. Ruby smiled ineptly.

Yang and Blake stood aside for Ruby to walk into the doorway. She wanted to head straight for her room, or the bathroom to see if she’d gained any more cuts or scars, but was stopped by a demanding blonde-haired woman.

“Ruby, you should be more responsible!” Yang placed her hands on her hips, a hint of exasperation dawning upon her face.

“How is going out at night, unaware there was a full moon, irresponsible?” Ruby retorted.

“That’s just it! You were unaware,” Yang made speech-marks in the air with her fingers, “that there was a full moon out! You should have been aware! Like I was! I am, at least, responsible about this one thing!”

Ruby felt her cheeks go red-hot and her arms tense strongly. “Well maybe I don’t want to be exactly like you, Yang!”

Yang rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant, Ruby.”

“Well that’s what it—“

“What Yang means is,” Blake had interrupted the squabbling siblings calmly, “you should be checking when the next full moon is. She was worried about you.”

Ruby folded her arms, but felt the tensing in her arms fade, as well as the warmness on her cheeks. Yang rubbed the back of her neck and sighed.

“Sorry. Blake’s right, Rubes. I was worried.”

Ruby nodded and smiled sincerely at her older sister. “It’s okay, I get it.”

A short silence passed between the three family members. Blake headed into the kitchen and began brewing herself a cup of herbal tea, leaving Ruby to proceed to the bathroom and Yang to take a place at a chair near the kitchen counter.

Ruby closed the bathroom door behind her and turned to face the mirror hanging on the wall. She could only see herself from her chest and up, but it was enough for her to at least check her appearance every day.

She stared intently at her skin. No new cuts or scratches anywhere. There was the usual scar down the right side of her neck that continued onto her shoulder, and the same burn mark just underneath her left ear. Nothing unusual or that she hadn’t previously noticed.

Ruby sighed as she stared into her silver eyes. They seemed to flicker with light every time she did this, stared at them, that is. She wondered if anyone else ever noticed any spots of light in her irises, like she does often. Would Weiss have noticed?

Ruby’s mind wandered to an unforgettable memory of that of her mother, Summer Rose.  Ruby couldn’t have been any older than seven, but she could remember her mother’s face as clear as day; a light pink tinge to her cheeks, dark hair up to her shoulders, a long white cloak, and shining silver eyes. Silver eyes that flickered so familiarly to that of Ruby’s own; eyes that were bright, that gave a sense of protection…

Ruby tore her eyes away from the mirror. She had grown quite fond of the hollow feeling that frequently filled her chest whenever her thoughts ventured to that of her mother, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed the sensation. In fact, she preferred to avoid it when possible.

Ruby left the mirror behind as she exited the bathroom and headed for her bedroom. Here was where she would spend the rest of the day, wallowing in thoughts and memories and maybe sleep. Then that night she would head to the forest once more to meet with Weiss; that is, if Weiss had not fled from Ruby with the intention of never returning to such a creature as a werewolf.

As Ruby was about to flop down onto her bed, she realised that the last person to lie in it had been the vampire herself. The sheets were, in fact, still pulled back from when Weiss had gotten out of them and left the room.

Ruby pulled the sheets over her as she gently climbed into the bed. It was cold, not warm like it usually was, and it smelt of strong vanilla. She assumed it was either because the sheets were drawn back or because Weiss didn’t exactly radiate any sort of body heat whatsoever; she knew the vanilla smell was surely from the vampire, though. Nonetheless, her bed was still comfortable.

Closing her eyes and attempting to sleep, Ruby cleared her mind of all thoughts. She remained this way for a while; not asleep, but not exactly awake either. For some strange reason Ruby just couldn’t get her brain to send her into slumber, instead she was still conscious but without thoughts.

The day passed by hour by hour, each longer than the last. Ruby, sleepless and motivation deprived, slinked out of bed after seeing the dark night sky outside of her window. She made her way into the living room, hoping to let Yang or Blake know that she was off to meet with Weiss so that they wouldn’t be worried that she’d disappeared again.

Ruby, instead was greeted by a furry black cat rubbing against her ankle. Ruby bent over and picked Blake up, coddling the cat in her arms.

“I’m just going out to meet Weiss, I’ll be back by morning so don’t let Yang worry about me.” Blake mewed in what Ruby assumed was understanding. She placed the cat on the wooden floor and headed out of the house for the umpteenth time that week.

Ruby considered possibly turning into her wolf form to travel to the forest but decided against it as to not worry Weiss that she had lost control again. So instead Ruby made her way to the area of the forest where she usually met up with Weiss.

Ruby sat down next to a thick tree and occupied herself with a tiny orange ladybug she had found crawling on a leaf. Weiss was usually waiting for Ruby when she arrived here, but she was allowed to be late, Ruby wasn’t counting the minutes or anything.

But the minutes went on and on without any sight of the white-haired vampire. Ruby didn’t want to believe that Weiss had abandoned her, but she found that it was all she could think about as she grudgingly headed back to the comfort of her bed after hours upon hours of patient waiting, where she could sleep instead of ponder on her thoughts.

Arriving home not too long before the sun would rise, Ruby ignored Blake as she opened the door for Ruby and let her in. Instead of saying anything more than a meek “Thanks,” Ruby made a bee-line straight to her bedroom.

Ruby climbed into her bed and pulled the sheets up to her neck. She rolled over and faced the wall. Just because Ruby lost control to the full moon the previous night didn’t mean the same would happen tonight, did Weiss know that? Did Weiss think Ruby was dangerous? Or unstable? Ruby thought the vampire could’ve at least come and told Ruby her feelings about her lycanthrope blood.

It wasn’t Ruby’s fault she was this way; her and Yang had been bitten at a young age when Yang had tried running away from home and had brought Ruby with her. The only reason they weren’t killed by the lycanthrope in wolf form was their uncle who had shown up just in time. So why couldn’t Weiss appreciate the fact that Ruby didn’t even mean to do whatever she did the night before?

Ruby felt her chest feel hollow and hot, and had to swallow hard to get rid of the lump that had formed in the base of her throat. She wished she had some sort of off switch; a button that turned her brain off so that she could just clear her mind without being clouded with thoughts and anxieties.

Blake, in the form of a sleek black cat, was sitting at Ruby’s bedroom door, her right ear cupped against the wood. She knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but she wanted to make sure Ruby was okay. She had ignored the faunus upon entering the house and gone straight to her room. Ruby tended to act like this when she wasn’t in the best mood, which Blake had accepted.

Blake left the door and headed into Yang’s room. Yang always left her door open for Blake to creep into. Blake hopped onto the end of the blonde-haired girl’s bed and curled up comfortably; she loved to sleep in her cat form, it was much more relaxed than her human form. Eventually, Blake found herself drifting off to sleep. Ruby found herself doing the same.

Chapter Text

The next morning Ruby was woken up by somebody who was forcefully shaking her. She heard them talking and saying things to her, but she was too tired to hear them. It wasn’t until they shook even harder and more vigorously that Ruby’s eyes focused and her body finally began to stretch and switch back to life. She looked up at the intruder who had interrupted her sleep.

“Dad?” Ruby mumbled as she rubbed her eyes, taking in the tall, blonde man standing proudly next to her bed.

“Correct, kiddo! I’m back from Vacuo!” Tai pulled Ruby’s red bed sheets off of her, leaving her to squeal as the cold air of the morning set itself over her body.

“Come have some breakfast and I’ll tell you ‘bout the trip!” He threw Ruby’s bedsheet on the other side of the room and smiled cheekily at his daughter, then exited the room.

Ruby ate breakfast with the whole family, all four of them sitting contently at their wooden kitchen table. Tai had always made the best bacon and eggs, and to commemorate his own return to his home he had made this very meal for the three girls. Ruby enjoyed the meal, but she didn’t feel the same wholesome feeling she felt when she usually ate such a nice breakfast.

“And then that’s when Qrow gave me these awesome silver tools; a pickaxe and a wood axe.” Tai told the story of his entire trip with his brother-in-law through a mouthful of orange, “Not really sure what the point of giving me the pickaxe was, of course, but he said he’d bought them as a pair.”

“I bet Ruby would love to take a look at those, right, Rubes?” Yang asked enthusiastically as she cut a large piece of bacon in half. Ruby looked up at Yang from her plate, which was still covered mostly in food, having not eaten too much.

“Oh, yeah, for sure.” Ruby tried to sound cheery, but she had evidently failed when Tai frowned slightly.

Blake and Yang glanced at each other before looking at Tai, giving him face expressions close to that of a warning look. Ruby ignored the three of them and looked back down at her plate, continuing to poke at her egg with her fork. She had suddenly lost her appetite.

“So,” Tai began talking slower than he had before, “The girls told me what happened that’s upset you, Rubes.”

Ruby snapped her head up at stare at her dad, slightly in shock and slightly in frustration.

“How you’d forgotten it was a full moon. Really, it’s okay. Everyone forgets things.” Ruby made eye contact with Blake and Yang, who nodded subtly to Tai.

“Oh… yeah. Thanks, Dad.” Ruby smiled at her dad then pushed back her chair to take her plate into the kitchen.

The next morning followed the same eggs-and-bacon breakfast routine. The four of them together at the table eating eggs and bacon, Tai doing majority of the talking, Yang agreeing with him and Ruby uncomfortably eating; the only difference in this morning was that Blake was not silent like she usually was.

“There is a festival in town tonight, remember you told us about it, Tai?” She asked solemnly as she then scooped some scrambled eggs into her mouth.

“That’s right, Blake! We’re all going out to the festival tonight as a family .” He leant forward and smiled at the three girls looking at him, then ate the rest of his breakfast cheerfully.

Yang and Blake were quite pleased that the four of them were going out together for what felt like the first time in a long time, and Ruby, even though she felt slightly guilty for feeling cheerful without her new friend, couldn’t help but feel a twang of excitement rush through her.

She had only ever been to a festival when she was quite young, and since it was at night time, maybe Weiss would be curious and come and explore? But Ruby didn’t want to get her hopes up by thinking too much.

It came time when the sun hid itself under the horizon and the shape of the new moon rose in its place, hard to see but still noticeable. The festival had now begun in the village, the bright lights and cheery sounds and music emitting from within the village fences and gates.

“Let’s head out already!” Yang yelled to the three family members left in the house as she was zipping up a brown leather jacket and stepping out the front door. “They’ve already started!”

“Calm down, Yang.” Blake shook her head (however she had a small smile on her face) as she followed Yang out the door.

Ruby threw on a black sleeveless top and a pair of ripped jeans. She ruffled her hand in her hair and followed Yang and Blake out the front door, shoving on a pair of black boots. Tai was the last to follow the girls out, a proud swagger in his walk as he led the girls to the village a short distance away.

The village was, to say the least, exuberant. The village people were loud with bright faces and happy chatter surrounded the atmosphere. There were stalls set up along the many strips of dirt road leading into a large open area in the centre of the village where the big energy was radiating from; there were people dressed in buoyant costumes and large displays of art, as well as dazzling light works and crazy stunts.

Ruby couldn’t help but to smile in amazement as her eyes roamed the wonders packing the village. Walking with the rest of her family still close to her, she noticed a group of people dressed in a team dragon costume, worming their way around the crowds playfully. She saw a stall that sold jewellery made of a bright white stone. Weiss would like that, I think. Ruby thought to herself as her hand caressed the smooth stone on the necklace hanging out the front of the stall.

“Ruby!” Tai called out to her from the other side of the street where he’d wondered over to, “I found a stall you might like!”

The stall her dad had found was a wood carving stall, but not any regular wood carver had carved the items on display. The small carved statues were that of people, animals, and beasts, all the size of small figurines and painted to exact detail. Ruby felt the child inside of her leap with joy as she admired the details and effort put into the carved items.

But it wasn’t until Ruby’s eye was drawn to a particular figurine. It was about the size of Ruby’s hand, and was in a strange pose. It had large wings extended out of its side, a wide open mouth lined with long fangs and stretched arms arched with sharp nails. It was painted a bright blue colour, with the wings painted in black.

“You like that one?” Asked the plump man behind the stall who sat in a wooden chair as Ruby held the wooden figurine in her hands.

“Yeah, it’s interesting.” Ruby squinted as she noticed the ice blue eyes painted on the figures face. “What made you make this one?”

Tai took the figurine from Ruby’s hand to inspect it for himself, a clear glint of curiosity in his eyes. The man behind the stall chuckled heartily before answering Ruby.

“Well I saw it myself, I did.” Ruby’s head flicked to look the man in the face as if to detect if he was lying.

He went on, “Only saw it for a second, mind you. Flashed past my front window just the other night. Carved this so I wouldn’t forget it, see.”

Ruby admired the figurine once again, still in the hands of her dad as he continued to examine it. “You saw it, did you?” He asked, looking up at the man who nodded his head in response.

Ruby opened her mouth to speak to the stall owner again but her voice was drowned out by the loud cracking and banging sounds of fireworks above the village. Ruby and Tai departed from the stall and regrouped with Yang and Blake as they admired the tremendous display of hundreds of lights showering the night sky.

There were green, red, blue, yellow, and even rainbow bursts of brightness, drowning out the brightness of the stars and momentarily replacing them before fading away. Ruby watched with her mouth slightly hanging open, her silver eyes reflecting the countless dots of light exploding in the air. She’d never seen fireworks so close up before. 

It was only after a certain explosion of white and red flecks was it that something other than the fireworks caught Ruby’s eye. She saw a figure in her peripheral vision; tall and dressed in complete white. Whoever he was, he definitely stood out, so why did no one else seem to notice his strange lurking figure between two houses? Probably because of the fireworks and other displays, Ruby concluded.

But it wasn’t like he was doing as everyone else was doing. He was standing underneath a shadow of the roof of the house he was next to, so Ruby couldn’t see his face, only his lanky figure dressed in a formal white suit. Should she point him out to her dad? Or Yang? Blake?

It was before Ruby decided if she should distract her family from the fireworks or not that the man had slipped behind one of the houses and disappeared. 

And it was only a minute after that that Ruby left her position next to her family and crept over to the same place the strange formal figure had just been lurking. With a quick glance back at the crowd of village people admiring the sky, she headed behind the houses to follow the stranger. 

Ruby was cramped behind the houses, with only a metre gap between the back surface of them and the cream painted walls of the village. She looked left and right along the walls, and when she saw a white flash, she instantly persisted. 

She now knew that all the running she forced herself into doing daily had become useful, as the man in white was not able to run any farther away from Ruby as she ran. Once Ruby thought she could finally have a look at his face, he jumped over the creamy walls of the village. Ruby huffed begrudgingly, then jumped up on the wall herself. After letting herself land down on the grass on the other side of the wall, she noticed that the white figure had stopped running.

Now Ruby was able to take a good look at who he really was. 

The man was at least a whole head taller than herself, and was about as lanky as a beanpole. But although his body was that of a towering tree, he held himself strongly, with a posture that gave Ruby the impression that he was of higher status than herself. His hair was just as white as his seemingly bleached clothing; it was slicked back with gel, and his mouth was slightly hidden by a neatly groomed moustache over his top lip (the moustache still being white, of course). The only thing that wasn’t white or close to white, was a red handkerchief in his left chest pocket, which Ruby noticed almost immediately. 

As Ruby looked the man in the eyes, she felt her mouth slowly hinge open. His eyes were the exact same icy shade of blue as Weiss’. She watched as the icy orbs scan Ruby’s skin, administering the scar she bore that ran down her neck. 

“Ruby Rose.” The man's voice was as cold as the ice in his eyes. “The lycanthrope.”

Ruby’s body went stiff as realisation finally dawned itself upon her brain. She was in the presence of Weiss Schnee’s father; the vampire who was so intended to stop Weiss from leaving her home to see Ruby in the very first place.

Chapter Text

Winter Schnee, being the eldest of the three Schnee children, was far wiser than her younger siblings. She had lived the longest, of course, but she had also dealt with the ‘habits’ and expectations of her father for the longest. She had no interest in continuing to live with Jacques Schnee, but she had decided to endure some more time to look after Weiss after their mother had left the family a few years prior. 

Winter, without Weiss’ real comprehension, paid quite a lot of attention to the girl’s life. Not only had her behaviour changed over the past week or so, but Winter had noticed that she had not seen her for the last couple of days. 

Being the rather cool and collected character, Winter did not panic or go into any sort of searching frenzy. Instead, she brainstormed the reasons as to why her sister could have disappeared. Maybe she had a bad row with father and was hiding away in her room? Perhaps she was roaming the castle during the day when Winter was asleep?

But as Winter came up with excuse upon excuse, she also gave herself reasons as to why the excuses were incorrect. If Weiss was hiding away in her room, she surely would’ve not feasted, leaving her to be quite sick, and Winter (at least Winter thought) Weiss was intelligent enough to not do that to herself. And if she had been roaming the castle during the day, Winter would’ve seen her on the mornings that she, herself, decided to stay awake a little longer. 

It then reached the point where after four days and four nights, Winter had failed to get even a glimpse of her younger sister. Winter had now decided that this was outrageous. The fact that she had no knowledge of where her sister was, if anything, irked her.  

“Whitley.” Winter called her youngest siblings name as she stood in the long stone hallway where the three children had their bedrooms. Winter heard Whitley’s door open and his short, yet lanky (like his father), figure stepped out into the hallway facing her. 

“Yes, sister?” He asked with a polite smile on his face and his hands placed behind his back.

“Where is Weiss?” Winter demanded with as much curiosity as she could muster. 

“Ah, well, sister, you see,” Whitley used his hand to straighten his black tie that was covered by a sleeveless blue vest, “I did hear Father mentioning something about her…”

Winter stared Whitley dead in the eye, refusing to even blink. Whitley’s posture fixed itself, his chest pushing out slightly more than a few moments ago. 

“Although now that I think of it, I don’t seem to remember what he had said.” Whitley gave another smile before turning on his heel and heading back towards his door. However, before he could enter his room, Winter interrupted him.

“I don’t seem to believe you, brother.”

Whitley turned his head to face Winter. His features were dark from shadows and hard to see from the angle he had stood at, but before Winter could see the anger flicker in his eyes, he smiled at her again.

“Believe what you want, Winter. But just know,” he straightened himself once again, “That I agree wholeheartedly with Father.”

Winter didn’t believe for one second that Weiss no longer showing herself was of her own will. With Whitley mentioning their father twice in the ‘conversation’ they had had, Winter was observant enough to know that he was the one behind this. 

But now that Winter knew Jacques had done something, or caused something, she couldn’t help herself but to be truly curious as to what could have even taken place for such an abrupt disappearance. And Winter was also observant towards her father in the way that she had picked up on many talents that he possessed; more talents than any vampire should have. 

Winter remembers a particular moment in time where her father’s eyes had shone at her when she was arguing with him, when he was failing to get his way. Winter remembered how just a few seconds afterwards she had felt so tired and spent that she ended up not bothering to continue to argue with him and let him have his way. 

Jacques also seemed to have the ability to heal himself faster than the rest of the family, spare Weiss. Of course Winter and Whitley too had this same ability, but their father seemed to outrank them with simply every task; which he took much pleasure in bragging about and degrading them for. 

And right now, Winter had grown too sick of it for her to handle anymore. She wasn’t going to let this go, she wasn’t going to assume her sister was okay; their father was involved in something that seemed quite suspicious, therefore there was certain to be a negative result. 

The air was now cool against Ruby’s skin, yet only a few seconds had passed after realising who the figure was that was standing before her.

Weiss Schnee’s father; a vampire with more abilities than Weiss herself (And Ruby thought Weiss was already more powerful than herself). So Ruby, at this given moment, was chilled right to the core not just by the soft breeze.

The vampire had a smirk on his face which was almost as cold as Ruby felt. He tilted his head up a few centimetres as if to assert his dominance. 

"Are you not Ruby Rose?" His sharp voice cut through the icy breeze like a razor blade. Ruby's hands clenched into fists, her mind screaming at her to not speak to the figure before her. 

The tall vampire held his hands behind his back. “You seem confused, child. I am Jacques Schnee.”

“I know who you are.” Ruby half-whimpered, half-retorted. She felt about as confident as a mouse standing up to a lion. 

“Oh?” Jacques took a step towards Ruby, his brow raised. His white moustache arched as his smirk became more defined. “Well I know who you are, as well. My daughter told me all about you.” 

Ruby faltered, her balled hands loosening as her anger vanished, being replaced with a soft aching feeling. 

“Yes, Miss Rose, your so called friend told me all about how she had been so…" Jacques moved closer to Ruby, the latter taking a step backwards, "Afraid of you.” 

Ruby failed to control herself as she let out a deep growl. He was lying, he had to be. Weiss couldn't be afraid of Ruby with whom she shared a friendship with. But Ruby couldn't stop her mind from connecting the dots and placing the pieces together. It did make sense...

Weiss hadn't returned out of fear. Ruby had scared her, for sure, and she had gone to her Father in fear .

"What do you want?" Ruby found herself scowling at the vampire without even meaning to, but she couldn’t help the fact that her chest burnt angrily with a ferocity similar to a raging fire. Jacques, in response to Ruby’s question, placed a hand on his chest in an attempt to look innocent.

But his innocent act vanished in an instant, and before Ruby could even comprehend the actions happening before her, she was slammed into the village wall. Her head bashed against the hard rock with the force of a charging bull, causing her vision to fade in and out of spotted darkness.

Jacques gripped a fist around Ruby’s throat, stopping her from pushing off the wall. Usually she was stronger than her foolish opponents, but this opponent wasn’t weak or a fool. 

The vampires voice returned to it’s chilling tone, which, in combination with Ruby’s squeezed throat, throbbing skull and impaired vision, sounded to her as if she was being spoken to by a serpent. “I want you to stay away from my daughter.”

In all the anger, all the hurt and pain, Ruby stared into Jacques piercing eyes. They were almost seeping into her own, as if they were scanning every part of Ruby’s mind and thoughts… and Ruby noticed something different. Different from when she had looked into his eyes only five minutes ago.

The vampires icy eyes were glazed with a deeper hue; a dark, almost glowing, blood red. And, acting out mostly on instinct, Ruby connected her fist with Jacques gut as hard as she could. The Schnee flinched at the contact and groaned, but overall, Ruby must have been too lightheaded to really hit him hard enough. 

Jacques took a deep breath and straightened himself, then his harsh grip on Ruby’s scarred neck tightened. Ruby let out a forced cough as she tried to keep her eyes focused on the sight before her, but all Jacques did was scowl and tighten his grip even more. 

“Do I need to repeat myself?” He hissed through his clenched teeth. As he spoke the last word, Ruby noticed a warmth dripping down her neck, the tightness in her throat almost closing in on itself. Her vision was filling up slowly with tiny black dots, swimming together to create a tsunami of blackness that was closing in. Maybe it would be easier if she just closed her eyes…

A deafening crack rang through the air, and a second afterwards Ruby felt the tightness in her throat vanish, letting her lean off of the wall and place her own hand around her throat to attempt to sooth it back to health. 

“Stay away from her, you sick bastard!” Ruby snapped her head up, and with her vision slowly returning to normal, she saw a bush of golden hair standing in front of her. It was Yang, come to save Ruby like the protective sister she was. 

Jacques held both hands on his left side, his breath heavy and loud. He glared daggers at both Yang and Ruby before large, grossly animal-like wings sprouted out of his back and spread wide. They beat loudly and for a few moments the vampire stayed in his place, but soon he rose into the air and flew off at a speed faster than any winged creature, and he disappeared into the night sky.  

“Blake!” Ruby looked over to her sister, who was now yelling at a black cat, “Follow him! Somehow, just go!” The cat nodded, and ran off into the forest, faster than any regular cat probably could. 

Yang then turned her full attention to Ruby. “Ruby! Can you stand? Are you okay?” 

Ruby didn’t realise that in the time she watched Jacques flee, she had slid down to the ground, her hand still rubbing softly at her throat. She winced at a sudden stinging on her neck, and when she pulled her hand away and examined it, she saw that it was covered in blood. The sight made Ruby cringe; she hated how she had the most scars on her neck. It was her weak point, where every other animal or foe aimed for. 

“Ruby?” Yang knelt down in front of the brunette and saw the blood covering her hand and neck. She whistled and softly pressed her own hand against Ruby’s neck. “Good cuts there.” Ruby would’ve rolled her eyes if they weren’t aching. 

“Where’s Dad?” Ruby croaked, holding out an arm for Yang to grab onto. The blonde grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her off of the ground.

“I told him to stay in the village in case you rocked up.” The blonde patted Ruby’s arm and chuckled. “You seem to just appear and disappear out of nowhere randomly, so.” 

Ruby was aided onto her feet by Yang, who then wrapped an arm around her shoulders to support her incase she would fall. “Come on,” Yang smiled warmly at her younger sister, “Let’s get you all healed up.”