A/N: Hey, everybody! Welcome to the first chapter of RWBY's Bizarre Adventure! This is the first fic I decided to post on FF . net, and I'm excited to see what will happen!

There are some things I should put out there before we start.

This is mainly going to be a RWBY fic with JoJo elements. I don't intend on bringing any of the JoJo characters into this story.

The story diverges from the canon storyline at V2E7. It will not follow the main storyline from then on.

A major part of JoJo is the callousness when it comes to violence. Araki doesn't shy away from body horror or maiming in his work, and I will treat this story the same way. Characters are going to get hurt, and bad. If that doesn't appeal to you, I recommend not reading this.

Finally, there will be times when I write about serious topics. I'll put disclaimers as I go, but I want to put that out there.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the main story!

RWBY and JoJo are not creations of my own. RWBY is made by Monty Oum and the guys at Roosterteeth. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is written by Hirohiko Araki.

I wiped the brow of my forehead. No matter the time of day, the forge remained sweltering hot. The heated air made this place uncomfortable to work in. Taking off my hoodie didn't help with the heat. My black t-shirt stuck to my chest, drenched in sweat.

The brick walls were covered with layers and layers of soot, the material staining the structure black. There were no windows inviting light in, casting everything in a shadow. Old-fashioned tools rested on hooks spanning the side of a wall. Only the burning coals provided a soft glow to illuminate the ancient room.

My fingers grasped around a hammer as I looked down on the shield that lay before me. The steel heirloom had seen better days, containing several bumps and scratches from today's spar. It laid on a dirty planishing stake. I sighed. It wasn't something I liked to do, but considering that the parts of Crocea Mors were one of a kind, an Arc like me should be able to fix up the weapon.

With a grunt, I went to work, swinging the mallet over and over. Each hit made a satisfying clang against the tried and true steel of the shield. I watched as the dents were smoothed away, like brushing away the wrinkles when making a bed.

After what felt like three minutes, I tossed the hammer to the side. The shield moved up to my eye level as I inspected the weapon. Not a single dip or hill that I could see on the steel guard. It's impressive to see how quickly I can repair my shield. Only a few firm hits to fix the warping now, compared to the half hour it took when I started at Beacon.

Maybe that's a testament to my skills; being able to fight better does mean less unnecessary blows to tank up. Pyrrha would be proud.

"Hey, Jaune! You got to look at this! I've been flipping through Hunter's Weapons Monthly, and I want some advice on how to upgrade my Crescent Rose!" I grinned. Ruby Rose, fellow team leader and overall best friend. Also, huge weapons geek. She sat across from my station flipping through a magazine. Her gun scythe sat on a workbench dismantled, every piece exposed to the hot air inside the forge.

"Yeah, what do you have in mind?" I asked, walking over to her station. The young girl didn't wear her usual combat dress, instead favoring a tank top and gray sweatpants. Likely for the same reason I took off my hoodie; the unbearable heat of the room.

She looked up as I approached, a huge grin on her face. "Now in the new issue, they talked about the tests on gun barrels made out of the new type of dust steel alloys. Flipping through the article, I was thinking about switching to that type, since the tests talk about the increased effective firing range."

She sighed. "However, this particular alloy happens to be more brittle than the one I'm using right now, which would suck because I have to replace the barrel more often!" Ruby showed me the article. The engineering mumbo jumbo flew over my head as I glanced over it.

I nodded as if I read through the page. "Okay… So, what do want my opinion on?"

"Well, what do you think? Should I switch?"

"Hmm… I've always been more about reliability over performance. I don't use a gun, but if I did, I would want one that fired no matter what." My shoulders went up in a shrug. "I mean, It would suck for me if I tried to fire a round and the barrel broke."

Ruby stayed silent for a moment, thinking about what I said to her. "Hey, that's a great point! Thanks, Jaune!" She tossed the magazine onto the table. "Gonna cancel that order then!"

A chuckle left my mouth as she zoomed off somewhere, leaving nothing but rose petals behind. Ruby's like one of my younger siblings, always excited and full of energy. I bet they couldn't stay still even if their lives depended on it.

I started heading back to my station when some movement caught my eye. I turned towards the open lane Ruby left through earlier. If I focused hard enough, I can make out something small moving. Its shadow flickered in the dim light. Eh, probably a small rodent or something like that. Nothing to be worried about.

I felt the rush of wind hit me as Ruby came rushing at me. "Hey Jaune I'm back- waulgh!" The girl tripped and faceplanted. I winced as I heard the sound of bones cracking. Even though she has Aura that could fix the wound within seconds, the sound still sends shivers down my back. Memories of me falling off a bicycle appeared in my mind. That wasn't a fun experience then, and especially not now.

I rushed over to her side. "Oh my gods! Ruby, you okay there?"

She raised a thumbs up, face still planted on the ground. "I'm okay!" her muffled voice reported. "I just tripped and fell! Nothing Aura can't fix!" Ruby pushed herself into a seated position. She's right. Her face looked pristine, as if she never fell on the floor.

"Okay that's goo-" I stopped as I stared at her right ankle. There was what looked to be a scratch. It cut deep, enough for blood to run down. But that's not possible! She still has Aura! "Ruby," I started. My finger pointed towards her feet. "Your ankle."

"Huh?" She leaned over to see the wound, before paling up at the sight. Her index finger ran over the wound. Ruby brought it up to her face, rubbing the blood between her fingers. Silver eyes widened at an impossible sight. "Wha?"

My eyes followed the trail of rose petals as I looked for the culprit of her wound. They landed on the tip of an arrow that stuck out into the walkway. The arrow must've been tucked behind a workbench by a forgetful student. The arrowhead had an unusual design, with the edges following a more curly pattern. It had no center, being hollowed out. The brass-colored arrow glowed in the light of burning coals. What an intricate arrow. Who would leave it here?

Before I could will my legs to move, a tiny black humanoid hand grasped the arrowhead. What was that? It came from behind the workbench. The hand lifted it up into the air, letting it hover for a couple of seconds, before yanking it out of sight.

I sprinted towards the station the second it disappeared from sight, much to Ruby's displeasure as I stumbled over her legs. My stride became wobbly as I tried to run towards the arrowhead.

My friend called out from behind: "Jaune, what's going on?"

"Ruby, there was an arrow in your path." My hands grabbed onto something solid, stabilizing me. "You must've cut your ankle on it. But someone's taken it, and I got to see-"

I rounded the corner only to stop in my tracks. It's gone! The creature thing is gone! "No, no," I moaned, dropping to the ground. Did I miss it? My fingers fumbled around only to feel nothing. I yanked my scroll out and switched on the flashlight function. A bright white beam cut through the darkness. Did it not exist? No, it had to. There's a couple drops of blood here. But where's the creature? "Oh man, Yang's going to kill me if she finds out!"

"No, Yang won't." Ruby limped over to my position. "Don't panic, Jaune. It's only a small scratch. I already put a band-aid over it. And yeah, it's weird that my Aura won't heal the scratch. So I'll just wait it out the old fashioned way!"

"I have no idea how you could stay this calm," I stated, moving the beam of light around. "You cut yourself on an arrow that could pierce through Aura! Even it is a small scratch, a weapon like that is dangerous to have sitting around. What if someone steps on it, or somebody picks it up and-"

I felt a slender hand land on my shoulder. "Jaune, whatever it is, it's gone now. Besides, the period is almost over. Let's pack up and get back in uniform before the bell rings."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I stood back up. "No point worrying about it now. Let's go."

As we walked out of the room, she started up a conversation about Crocea Mors getting a gun upgrade. Although I did take part in the conversation, my mind wandered back to the creature. What creature would do this? To go around and scratch others with an arrow?

What a bizarre creature.

I leaned my head into my outstretched hands, sighing the sigh of boredom as I fiddled around with my favorite cape. My eyes stared at the blackboards full of papers, drawings, and diagrams, placed without any care in the world. Professor Oobleck, the teacher heading the class, ran across the stage as he fired off so many details and notes. Nobody can keep up with him, except for my brilliant partner.

A pang of pain rushed through my leg. I winced, leaning down and pulling at my stocking. The cut was still there. I rubbed the wound on my ankle, trying to soothe the aching. Maybe it was worse than I thought.

But I don't want to get the rest of the team to worry about me. I glanced up at the rest of my teammates. Weiss paid attention to Oobleck's ramble, as usual. Even after living with her for over a semester, I still can't figure out how she can keep up with Oobleck. Granted, I think I asked her before, but I must've forgotten how.

Blake on the other hand tuned out the lesson entirely, currently engrossed in her novel. Her amber eyes traveled across the page as she imagined the story in her head. I tried to hold back laughter. She thinks we don't know about her favored genre. Oh, Blake, you don't even know the half of it. We all know. Even JNPR, although that was an accident, I swear!

And Yang, well, she's giving me an unusual look. My half sister has been staring at me for some time. Did she figure out what's going on? She glanced at Oobleck's, making sure he isn't looking in our direction before leaning towards me. The blonde cupped her hands as to prevent anybody else from listening in, although Blake would probably still hear. Yang is right in front of our resident faunus.

"Ruby? Is there something wrong?" Blake's bow twitched at the question. Yang has always been protective of me. I mean, I understand why, but it sometimes feels smothering. I mean, there's nothing wrong! "You've been leaning down and rubbing your ankle for a while now."

"Yang, I'm just scratching myself," I whispered back. "Something about the uniform is just making me itchy."

"Okay." My big sister leaned back to her seat, but she still kept a lilac eye my way. I wish I can tell her about the wound, but she would probably blow it out of proportion. I mean, it's just a cut! It's not even an inch long!

Another wave of pain hit me, this time in the form of a headache. I bit my lip, trying to keep any sound from escaping my lips. If I say anything, Yang is definitely going to find out! My head placed itself on the loose sheets of paper that were my notes. My eyes peered at the clock in front of the room. Half an hour until class ends?!

Okay, Ruby, take it easy. I can make it through this. My headache isn't even that bad anymore, I can feel it going away right now. Remnant History is the last class of the day, I'll just get some painkillers once I'm done. Just focus on the ramblings of Oobleck. My focus switched between the hyperactive teacher and the clock, watching the minute hand creep closer and closer to the end of the period. Maybe I can make it. My brain lit on fire after I made that thought.

I winced as my headache came back with a vengeance. My teeth gnashed as I slumped even further into the wooden desk. The pain, it's so unbearable! My muscles feel so weak, I can't push myself back up into a seating position. All I can do is slump over on my desk as I weathered through the pain.

Yang was at my side in a manner of moments. A groan must've escaped my mouth. Within moments, she placed her hand on my forehead, before recoiling. She rubbed the sides of my neck, checking for any swelling.

"Professor!" she screamed to the classroom. I managed to focus my thoughts long enough to see the students turn to look at us. Jaune in particular looked concerned. His arms tensed on his desk as his fingers wrapped around the edge of his desk. I watched his Adam's apple quiver as if he wanted to stand up and say something to the class.

The green haired spaz stopped lecturing to look at the blonde. "It's Doctor, but what is it Ms. Xiao-Long?"

"I need to get Ruby to the nurse's office! She looks like she's sick!"

"Hmm." The doctor zipped over to me and Yang. He inspected my groaning body. "Excellent observation, Ms. Xiao-Long! Ms. Rose doesn't look too well. Maybe a bad lunch? Whatever the case is, you may leave the class with her. I'm sure that Ms. Schnee can provide you two with the notes for today." He nodded towards the studious girl before looking back at me. "Do get well soon!"

With that, Yang lifted my still in pain body onto her back and dragged me out from my seat. Despite the gibberish that was my protests, she made her way towards the exit. I can feel several eyes gaze at my sister and I. As she slipped out, she forced me to wrap my arms around her neck, before lifting me up onto her back.

Once she closed the classroom door, Yang started muttering to herself. I couldn't tell what she's saying, though. I can't hear her through my raging headache. I glanced at the hallway. Was it always his big? It felt like it extended forever off into the distance. And why was there a bright light at the end of it? Like a ray of sunshine chose to shine through on this cloudy day.

Was there someone on the end of it? I squinted. Something was on the other side. It looked like a hooded figure stood at the end of it, their cape flowing to my right. Even though I could feel the breeze hit my right cheek first. As Yang walked closer, I noticed how the cloak was white. Just like-

The figure burst away into hundreds of little pieces, flying into the air. What followed next was the worst pain I felt in my life. I screamed as my muscles spazzed out, releasing my grip on Yang's neck in the process. Gravity took over as I slipped away, landing on the concrete ground with a thump. The girl swarmed over me in an instant, her mouth making motions like she was trying to say something. But I can't hear a single word. My vision blurred. Am I going to die? I don't wanna die.

I tried moving my arm, only for the pain to continue its torment. All I can see now is a yellow figure shaking me. I can't go yet, I still need to be a Huntress. Team RWBY, what are they going to do without their leader? My vision cleared to the sight of a single ray of sun pouring down onto my face. A pale brunette woman with red highlights smiled from the clouds. The sight brought a smile to my face. Hi mom. I'm coming to see you again.

Everybody stayed silent after Ruby and Yang left the room. I sighed, combing my dirty blonde hair back. From the corner of my eye, I saw Pyrrha shifting in her seat uncomfortably.

"You're concerned about Ruby, Jaune?" my partner asked. Her emerald green eyes had a hint of concern for the young leader. I let out an audible sigh.

"Yeah, you can say that." I knew there was something wrong with that arrow! Maybe it was covered in something poisonous! I should've looked harder for it! "She was fine earlier when I was in the forge with her. Something's wrong with this."

As if on cue, a high pitched yell shook everybody in the class. Ruby. I shot up from my seat, as did the rest of RWBY and JNPR as we made our way towards the door.

"As much as you're concerned about the condition of your friend. " Oobleck zipped up towards us. "There's no need to disrupt class. The two girls can surely handle-"

We all ignored his pleas, slamming the door open. "Yang!" the heiress called out. "Is everything okay?"

"Over here! Come quickly!" All of us including Oobleck rushed towards the sound of her voice. Ruby couldn't be it that bad of a condition, she must've fainted or somethi-

I stopped in my tracks. Yang knelt over the prone girl, shaking her shoulders over and over. Tears ran down her face as she tried in vain to rouse her sister. The blonde looked like a mess.

But not nearly as bad as Ruby. Her pale skin was even paler than usual. Those silver eyes shared a vacant look, not registering a single thing that's going on. Her face contorted and froze into an image of terror. My eyes turned towards her wound, despite my uneasiness. Her right stocking reddened as the liquid soaked into the fabric. She must be getting worse.

Pyrrha placed a hand over her mouth in horror as she looked over my shoulder. Weiss stopped in place, too shocked to move. The rest of the group reacted similarly, muttering sounds of disbelief. I cursed myself. Why didn't I tell somebody about the injury earlier? I remembered why: there's no way to prove that it actually happened. The arrow's gone, I don't have any images of the creature. People would think I'm lying, or maybe delusional in grief! They won't believe me!

Oobleck was at the girl's side before anybody realized it. He hummed in contemplation as he looked over his student. "Ms. Xiao-Long, if you don't mind, can you take off that stocking?" The blonde girl nodded, staring blankly into nowhere. Without a single protest, she pulled the article of clothing away from her sister's foot, exposing the wound underneath.

I clamped my hand over my face as the unbearable stench overwhelmed me. My stomach was ready to hurl. Underneath the stocking, the cut festered as it spilled out pus. The flesh around her ankle glowed red in anger as if they were fighting an infection. I swore that her skin peeled in the shape of flower petals, or like the scales of a snake. Someone rubbed the base of my neck, trying to comfort me. Pyrrha, most likely.

The doctor himself didn't look fazed. "Mr. Lie, listen to me real carefully." The dark-haired boy nodded as he stepped forward. Oobleck had his fingers under Ruby's neck, checking for a pulse. "Run as fast as possible to the nurse's office and ask for Professor Peach. Tell her that we need stretchers and volunteers sent to my classroom. If she asks, tell her it's a major infection, immediate care needed. We need to get medical care from a medical doctor right now!" With a firm nod, he went off on his way. He looked over at the rest of us.

"Everyone else, aside from Ms. Xiao-Long, stand back." None of us tried to argue, doing as he asked. "One by one, you will all tell me when was the last time you saw Ms. Rose, where, and her condition at the time. The fact that there's a disease that can affect Aura users is disturbing, to say the least, and Peach will want to learn where the source is."

"The last time team RWBY saw her was after Port's class," Weiss reported. "She seemed normal."

Pyrrha stepped forwards. "Team JNPR saw her last in the morning during breakfast. Ruby didn't seem to have any problems."

"That doesn't paint as good as a picture as I'd hope." Oobleck pushed his glasses up and hummed. I felt my fist clench. "Try narrowing it down. One of you have to remember-"

"I was with Ruby in the forges, right before your class," I interrupted. No! Me and my stupid mouth! Everybody turned to look at me. They won't believe me! Should I lie? I swallowed. "... I remember her complaining about a small cut, but I thought she accidentally sliced one of her fingertips or something, considering she works with Crescent Rose. But I guess something caught her ankle and cut her." It's for the best. They can't find the arrow or the creature anyways. This was the next best step.

"Thank you, Mr. Arc." The professor got back up to his feet. "That might help us figure out what's going on. Anybody else?" No one said anything. "That might be our best lead at the moment," he murmured.

"Everybody make way!" Professor Peach walked into the crowd, followed closely by two assistants carrying a stretcher and Ren. The dark skinned nurse wore blue tight fitting medical scrubs with a white lab jacket over them. The jacket remained unbuttoned. "I need to assess the damage. Where's the patient?"

"Right here, Peach." Oobleck gestured to the brunette on the ground. He corralled away the rest of the students as he guided the catatonic Yang back. "Everybody, back away from Ms. Rose! Let the professionals do their work!"

Peach strapped some surgical gloves on her hands before leaning down. "Oobleck, give me the situation."

"I sent the girl down to your office for a headache when she collapsed here." The tone of his voice was slower, more serious. I've never heard him like this before. "Ms. Rose still has a pulse, although her condition isn't too good. The infection came from a cut, most likely from something in the forges. The disease worked fast, within twenty to thirty minutes since the initial wound."

"Hmm, that doesn't sound like any disease that I've ever heard of." With a q-tip, she scooped up a generous dollop of the white milky fluid and sealed it in a bag. "Reggie, take the pus sample and get it analyzed! If we don't know what she's infected with, we can't do anything!" The assistant nodded, snatching the sample before running back to the office. "Lye, ready the stretcher! The second I get this wound cleaned up, we're getting her to some care!"

As she made that declaration, Professor Peach started wiping away the disgusting pus. "Now to see the severity of the-" She paused for a moment before making a confused hum. "Oobleck, you said that there was a cut, right?"

"Roughly an inch long on the ankle. I saw it, the group saw it." Oobleck stepped towards his peer. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Her Aura must've healed it, because it's gone." She revealed the limb to the rest of the group. Peach is right! The cut's not there! The ankle still looks worse for the wear, but it's like the cut never happened. "The disease must've delayed her Aura response somehow. Still impossible with what we know about diseases, but it might be a new strain we haven't heard if before. Just in case, we're still bringing her under watch. The last thing we need to find out is that the disease is contagious."

"Which means anybody who's touched her right now is going into quarantine. So…" She glanced through the crowd, figuring out who was closest. "... Ms. Xiao-Long, Oobleck, you two were closest, you must come with me. Did anybody else touch her?" The rest of RWBYJNPR shook their heads. "Good. Take a vitamin kiddos, get your immune system boosted. You don't want to get sick, do you?" The nurse chuckled to herself. "But enough from me. Let's get this girl out of here."

I sighed as I watched Ruby be carried to the nurse's office. Was what I did right? Is she going to be okay? The rest of my team stood behind me as I thought about the events that led to this. I've told another lie. One more lie that my whole life rests on. Before, my lies were for my own benefit. I wanted to be a hero, and built a house of cards to fulfill that dream. This is another one? Something that will haunt me for the rest of my life? I prayed to whatever higher being out there it isn't so.

The first thing that I remember seeing is a whirl of white. Was this it? Am I in heaven? It seemed really gloomy for the afterlife. I stretched my hand towards the light, only to feel tiny needles stinging me. My arm drew back to see little snowflakes melt away on my skin. The tips of my fingers grew warm and red in the weather. My head pulled up as I glanced at my ankle. It was like it was never cut.

I can't be dead. This place feels so real. I pushed against the ground, only to find the chill of the snow bite into my uncovered hands. Bits of the fluffy white powder slid down my short brunette hair as I sat up. I know that I'm not dead, so where am I?

My body shivered as I got up to my feet. I looked down to see myself in the tank top and sweatpants outfit I wore back in the forges. No wonder I'm cold, I didn't cover myself up! I rubbed my bare arms, shivering as I walked through the freezing snow.

"Hello?" I called out. Nothing answered back. My chest started rising and lowering faster and faster. Maybe I am dead, and this is hell. No one to talk to, nothing to do, just walk through a snowy plain without any winter clothes. What did I do to deserve this?

As I occupied myself in these thoughts, I heard something playing. Something soft and soothing, like an old lullaby long forgotten. I perked up. Maybe there is someone here, and they can tell me what's going on! My footsteps quickened as I followed the sound. "Hello? I'm lost! Can you tell me where I am?"

The sound became louder, causing me to stop. Now I remember what that sound was. It's the strumming of a Spanish guitar. Mom… she owned a Spanish guitar. When I was young, she would play and sing to me every night before bed. Tears started sliding down my face. Now this place was mocking me, pulling out all my bad memories and forcing me to face them.

"Red like roses-" I flinched at the sound. That was a human singing, a woman from the sounds of it. Somebody must be there! I threw caution to the wind, running towards the singing.

"Please, who are you? What's going on?"

"-fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest." The snowstorm stopped, disappearing into nothing. My eyes took in the area. A forest rested behind me, thick with vegetation. It's a wonder that I didn't run into any of the trees. My eyes landed in front of me. I stood in a snowy cliffside. The skies were dark, giving off an ominous feeling. A single square stone sat close to the edge if the cliff.

This is Mom's grave site. Somehow, I ended up in Patch. But why? I was in Beacon this morning! How did I end up here?

"White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test, " the voice continued. In front of me, a white hooded figure appeared out of the gravestone. It's the same figure as in the hallway!

"Mom? Is that you?" I walked towards the figure. Underneath her hood, I could make out a small smile, one that never left my mother's face. "Yo-you're alive?" I couldn't hold back the tears, letting them freely run down my face. "It's been so long-"

"Black the beast descends from shadows." The voice isn't coming from her. She's not singing. A growl interrupted my thoughts. Turning around, I looked back into the forest to see dozens, no, hundreds of pairs of eyes glare at us. Their telltale red glow said it all. Grimm. Somehow they managed to surround us.

My hand reached back for Crescent Rose, only to grasp empty air. I looked behind me in a panic. It wasn't where it usually is, bound to my back. Of course I don't have it! I'm not even in my combat skirt! Now I was panicking. How am I going to defend myself?

"Yellow beauty burns… gold." I looked back at the hooded figure, only to cover my eyes as she drew out her weapons. The dual knives shimmered golden, contrasting against the white and black background. Silver chains snaked up her arms, likely for long distance fighting. In my awe, I failed to realize that the guitar playing earlier all but disappeared. One Beowolf, sensing an easy snack, dived at me, fangs ready to sink into me.

It didn't take long for the music to start back again as the white cloaked figure leaped into action, flinging her daggers straight into the beast's eyes. I dropped straight down as I realized that the blades might hit me. They flew right over my head and sank straight through its skull, ending its life instantly. Moments later she pulled herself to its body, landing next to me. I let out a cry of joy. It is her!

Mom pulled out her daggers, spilling black ichor onto the pristine white snow, staining it black. The rest of the pack growled and dived towards her, ready to rip her to shreds. In response, she flipped each knife so that she held them ice pick style. Mom leaned forwards, ready to pounce at the descending horde.

A handful of Beowolves pounced at us. She responded by blurring away for a moment, before returning back to her original spot. A second later, three of the Beowolves fell to the ground limp, its foul liquids spilling out from several knife slices. Limbs fell away from their bodies in midair. My jaw popped open at her skill. So this was Mom, the hunter. One of the beasts dived at her from the side, aiming for her throat. She followed up by ducking and turning the tables on the beast, nailing her weapon into its throat first. With the beast now dead, she swung her arm over herself, releasing her blade and allowing the body to fly over. The would be ambushed tumbled into the snow.

I watched in awe as she destroyed the attacking horde. She was a white whirlwind beating against the sea of black. This whole entire time, the Spanish guitar played a fast, frantic beat, making my heart race. Her body moved like clockwork, every action using as little energy as possible as she slashed, stabbed, and swung her way through the horde. Chunks of Grimm soared through the air. Gallons of ichor stained the cliff side black as coal. Yet not a drop touched her. She remained pure in the chaos she stood in.

With a flourish, she ended her blade dance. And as soon as it began, the only Grimm remaining was the Alpha Beowolf and three of its lackeys. The alpha howled at the woman in displeasure. She responded by flicking the Grimm blood off of her blades. The beast was a lot more cautious than the rest of its pack, staying right outside of her effective range and watching, plotting.

It snarled, and the rest of the pack ran around her. Her head started back and forth, trying to keep all of them in her sights. Two of them decided to attack her back and side, leaping at her body. A jab towards her back and her left side ended their lives in a split second. The third one… wait, where did it go? I glanced around, only to realize it barreled towards me.

I screamed as I broke into a run, trying to activate my Semblance. I flopped to the ground, my superspeed failing to boost me away. My eyes darted back up to see the beast in mid-flight. At the last second, I rolled to the side, the Beowolf landing where I laid a split second ago. Mom turned back to look at me. That was her mistake. In an instant, she found jaws clamping down on her midsection. The sickening sound of cracking bones filled the area as her mouth opened in shock.

"Mom!" I yelled out. My feet dug into the ground as I pushed myself up. I'm ready to move towards her. The last Beowolf decided it wouldn't have that, leaping between me and my mom. With no other choice, I turned around and ran back, away from mom. I gave a spare glance at her to see her sink her weapons into the Alpha. It collapsed to the floor, bringing her down with it.

The snarl of the Beowolf brought back my focus to the most important matter at hand. The second I heard its growl, I threw myself to the side, allowing the monster to soar over me. With a couple of seconds bought, I looked back at the white cloaked figure. She strained as she yanked at the teeth around her torso. I need to get to her. My mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. The weight of a giant animal knocked the air out of me.

My head slammed right into the snow, sending the fluffy stained material up into the air. I shook my skull for a second to clear my head only to meet a set of fangs going down on me. With a scream, I threw my hands into the powdery fog. They felt something furry and oily, and without a second thought, I wrapped them around that object. The fangs found themselves stopped in place. A moment later I felt my ankle get crushed under what feels like paws, bringing another scream out of me.

My vision cleared up as the snow settled, revealing the snarling monster. My hands were grasped around its neck. The monster snapped at me, using its brute strength to attempt to rip my throat out. Its breath smelled putrid, like burning oil and rotting meat. I cried as used every ounce of my strength in pushing back the monster. I watched in horror as my arm strength started to fail me, and the Beowolf's sharp teeth drew closer and closer, scratching at my neck. I swear I can see the smug look on its eyes.

All of a sudden, the malice in its eyes died out. The jaw popped right open, freeing my neck from the clamp. One golden dagger sat stuck on the top of its skull. I felt the weight leave my chest as the body was pushed off, revealing the saintly image of Mom.

She looked terrible, with giant fang marks dotting vertically across her torso. Blood still seeped through the bite marks. A small part of her right side was ripped off, leaving a ghastly image. Her cloak was all but torn to shreds, except for her hood. But despite all that, she still had a smile on her face.

"You came to save me," I whispered. "Just like in your stories." I tried to push myself up, only to cry in pain as my ankle failed to support my weight. I collapsed back to the ground. In a flash Mom was at my side, pulling me up by my armpits to a standing position. I laughed in relief. We're okay. We can go home.

I looked back towards the forest and let out a cry of defeat. We were surrounded by Beowolves. Their red eyes stared at us as they stepped closer and closer.

"Mom. Leave me here. I can't walk on my own." A tear ran down my face. "I'm only going to hold you back." She didn't respond, instead taking a step back. The music started to reach a climax. Another step back. No, there's no way to run away. I felt the breeze hit my face. Yet another step. She can't possibly be thinking of-

My body went weightless. Before I realized it, my vision shifted, from the crowd of Beowolves to the dark night sky. Gravity started to tug at us as my face turned towards the rapidly approaching waves. We're going to crash! "Moooooooooom!" I screamed as the rocks came closer and closer. I felt her shift her grip, from around my chest to around my neck.

"Don't you worry," she spoke. It was one of the first times I could hear her voice. "I'll always be there to protect you." I felt my skin peel away and fall off. The pieces of flesh were red like roses. She pulled me tighter into her embrace. "My baby."

"We're about to hit the water!" I screamed.

"And thus kindly, I scatter." The guitar ended with a flourish.

We smashed into the surface of the water, exploding into a shower of rose petals.

⇐TO BE CONTINUED=

Thank you guys for reading, and until then, see you next time!