Pet Quartet (ch25)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

I know this AU could quite literally go one forever, but I'm going to be stopping here as I mentioned! I hope you'll enjoy the finale!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Epilogue. A Wonderful Future

That year, Blake, Ruby, Weiss and Yang experienced a lot of new things together.

They enjoyed the hot, lazy summer afternoons together in their back yard.

They visited the beach, and played in the sand and the in ocean for the first time.

Then, as the air grew colder, they watched the leaves change colors, jumping in piles of them and scattering them around.

They watched the pumpkins come out and smelled the scent of sweet things in the air as children come to their door dressed in costumes. And the four of them even got to wear little costumes, too. They greeted their spooky visitors and got plenty of pets and praises in between.

And then it began getting even colder. They cut their walks a little bit shorter some days, but still got to see all of their friends and keep up with the gossip through the other birds, and whenever it was nice enough to go to the park.

Blake purred to hear that Adam was doing well with his humans, as were all the rest of his old soldiers.

And even Ruby smiled to hear that Emerald, Mercury, Cinder, and their lizard friends were being admired and taken care of daily at the children's zoo across town.

Weiss' sister Winter - a lovely white bird just a little bigger than she was - came to visit with her flock every now and then. The sisters would chat and go for brief flights together to share their news.

And Yang talked to the raven and the crow as if they were old friends, and they listened and imparted wise advise to her whenever she needed it.

The seasons went by, and every day was fun and eventful in its own way, particularly because the four of them were together.

And then there was one night when their humans made a warm fire in the hearth, and all four of them curled up and slept beside it that night since it was chiller than usual.

Blake woke first the following morning as always, stretching and yawning as she lazily licked Ruby awake. Weiss twittered a morning song to rouse Yang as the dog rolled over and let her tongue loll out.

"Five more minutes…"


"Honestly..." Weiss fluttered off to the window as Blake and Ruby started their bug patrol, but there hadn't been many in the colder months.

They were just about to start searching the bathroom for any unwelcome intruders when they heard an excited tweet from the living room.

"Oh my!"

Blake's ears perked as she looked up to Ruby on her head, and Ruby looked down. She bounded back into the living room, where Yang had finally gotten up to see what the excitement was about.

"What's up, Weiss?" Ruby squeaked.

Weiss turned around and waved her wing.

"Come look!"

Blake let Ruby off to bound up onto the window sill. She gasped.

"Oh, wow! Oh my gosh!"

"What? What?" Yang kneaded the carpet and wagged her tail in anticipation. Ruby twirled around gleefully.

"It's snowing!"

"What?!" Yang yipped. "Oh, man! I love snow!"

"It's piled pretty high up," Weiss reported. "It must have been going all night."

"Oh boy, oh boy!"

"Hold on," Blake said to calm the others down. "Let's eat first, okay? The snow isn't going anywhere."

So they waited in anticipation for their humans to get up so they could eat together. The man and woman could tell they were itching to go outside.

"Just don't stay out too long," he said. "We don't want any frozen paws."

When everyone was ready, they hurried to the door flap and proceed as usual, with Yang at the front, Ruby and Weiss in between, and Blake at the end.

As soon as she stepped outside, her paws sunk down into cold wet snow. It reached halfway up her legs, but only a fraction of the way up Yang's.

Weiss flew to avoid sinking, but Ruby wasn't so lucky. With a little 'oof!' she flopped straight down into a pile of white. Blake chuckled and carefully picked her up by the cape, placing Ruby on her back instead.

"Whoa…"

Now that they could all see clearly, they were mesmerized. Blake had seen snow before, but she'd never had a reason or desire to go outside in it. It really was so much prettier up close and without a window in between. Everything was sparkling and glowing, blanketed in layers of white crystals, and more flurries were still coming down softly.

They admired it in silence for a minute before Yang burst.

"Wow! This is amazing! Oh my gosh!" She started jumping and leaping across the whole yard, rolling around and flinging chunks of snow all over as she shook herself off. One such chunk nearly hit Weiss as she hovered above.


"Hey, watch it!" For revenge, Weiss flew to a small branch over Yang's head and grabbed it with her talons. She pulled back and then let go, and a small shower of snow rained down on the dog. Yang barked and opened her mouth to eat some.

Blake bounded over to them, constantly shaking herself off as she got used to the sensation. Ruby jumped down into the shallower snow Yang had already trampled and began darting around and making little burrows.

"Aha! This is so much fun!"


"It's so cool!" Yang said. "Literally!"

Blake had to admit she was beginning to enjoy it as well, when she just thought about the nice warm fire and bath that awaited her later.

She made paw prints in the snow and followed Weiss' example of bumping into a bush or small tree to knock its snowy contents onto the others. They all giggled and played for a few minutes, until they were all ruffled and flaked with snow. Blake couldn't stop herself from laughing at Yang in particular. The retriever had chunks of ice and snow stuck in her long fur.

"Yang!" she laughed. "You look like a polar bear!"

"What a big oaf, indeed," Weiss commented from somewhere nearby. Ruby perked up to look around.

"Weiss? Where are you?"


"I'm right here, you dolt."

"Where?"


"I'm right next to you!" She flapped her wings at Ruby's cape.


"Oh, sorry! I didn't even see you! You blend in so well!"

"Meanwhile, Blake sticks out like a sore paw," Yang teased.

"The treat is in the other bowl now, hm?" Weiss sung. "Winter is the season for birds like me. All the rest of the year we're so easy to spot, but as soon as the snow falls we're in our element!"

"Good luck finding your sister, then," Ruby said.

"Actually," Weiss reported. "I think I hear her now."

"But don't birds fly away in the winter?" Ruby frowned. "Won't she go someplace warmer?"


"Not all birds migrate," Weiss informed her. "My kind stay all year-round. The winter doesn't bother us."

Just then, a couple of birds flittered overhead, twittering to her, and Weiss flew off to greet them for the moment. It's then when Ruby suddenly remembered someone else.

"Oh my gosh! What about Penny? What if she's buried alive!"

"Easy, Ruby," Blake soothed her with a lick before she could get upset. "Skunks know how to burrow. Also, they hibernate in the winter. She's probably getting ready to go to sleep."

"Oh, thank goodness. Either way, I wanna go check on her!"

So Blake scooped Ruby onto her back again as Yang took the lead. They headed for the porch where the snow was piled all up the sides. Yang began to dig, spraying snow all over as Ruby called out.


"Penny? Are you there?"

They waited for a moment as Yang dug. But then, a bit of movement from a little farther down the porch caught Blake's eye. She turned her head so Ruby could watch as a little black nose poked out of the snow.

"Penny!"

The skunk dug herself out with ease and shook herself off.

"Burr! Yes, it's winter all right."

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Ruby jumped down and scrambled through the snow until she reached her friend and hugged her.


"Good morning, Ruby! Of course I'm okay! I was just getting ready to go to sleep, though. I'll be asleep for a few months now until spring, so I just wanted to say goodnight to everyone!"

Yang bounded over to lay her tail around Penny and give her a lick.

"Stay warm under there!"

"I will!"

Blake trotted over next to bump her head against the skunk's.

"We'll be waiting for you in the spring."

"Thank you!"

Weiss spotted them and flew over next, perching on top of the snow to nestle up against Penny.

"We'll keep an eye on things out here, so rest assured."

"Thank you, Weiss!"

And finally, Ruby hugged her one more time.

"I'm gonna miss you!"

Penny squeezed her back.

"I'll miss you, too!"

"We'll have so much more fun together when the snow melts!"

"Yes! But be sure to enjoy the winter for me while I'm asleep!"

"You got it!"

They shared a little group hug before Penny turned back to her burrow.

"I'll see you all in a few months!"


"Sleep well!" Blake called out.

But before Penny went, Ruby scuttled over to her again. And for the first time ever, she slipped out of her cape and gave it to her friend.

"This'll help keep you warm!"


Penny blinked her eyes wide.


"But what about you, Ruby?"


"It's okay! I've got all these guys to keep me warm!"

The others nodded. Yang followed suit and pawed off her bandana, then gave that to Penny as well. The little skunk clutched both items in her paws and beamed.

"Thank you all so much! I'll give them back to you in the spring!"

And with that, she scampered back under the porch.

Ruby sniffled for a moment before her friends carried her back out into the yard to play.

They played all day long in the snow, seeing a few of the other dogs walk by with their humans and hearing the squawks and chitters of other friends all around the neighborhood.

By the time they went back inside to shake off and take their nice warm baths, everyone was happily exhausted. Their humans gave them extra time in the hot water before drying them off with towels and hair dryers.

The woman seemed to understand that Ruby and Yang hadn't lost their articles, but rather given them away for now, so she didn't make them new ones. But she did give them all an extra-soft blanket, as well as a big soft cushion bed to curl up in on the floor at night.

They ate together as always, then lazed by the fire with their humans for hours until it was time for bed.

And Blake sits up now, looking at these wonderful humans who had taken her in.

The kind man and woman pat and hug them all goodnight, and kiss them all on the head. Blake purrs and rubs against them, wishing they could know just how grateful she is to them. They go upstairs for bed, and Blake stares after them for a moment, until a soft prompting call of three familiar voices gets her attention.


"Blake."

She turns around to find all of her friends lying in their new soft bed waiting for her. Blake dashes over and eagerly curls in beside Yang. The retriever licks her a few times as Blake presses close, purring and sharing her warmth.

Blake gives Weiss a couple of licks as the bird makes her nightly nest in Yang's fur once again - though she would get the bandana back in the spring.

And Ruby would get her cape back too, but for now Blake keeps her plenty warm with her paws.

Spring would come before they knew it, and Penny would emerge to give their things back to them.

They would all play together with her, and all their other friends.

They would enjoy the same kinds of lazy, uneventful days, as well as new adventures.

They would visit new places and make new friends.

But they would always come back to this.

To these soft, cozy evenings of grooming and purring and cuddling up close.

Blake gives everyone one last lick before they all wish each other goodnight.


"G'night you guys.


"Night!"

"Goodnight!"

"See you in the morning!"

And so Blake - a cat who had once lived a life of fear and uncertainty out on the streets - now curls up in a safe, warm, loving house, with the most amazing animals she's ever known.

They are her team.

Her pack.

Her flock.

Her family.

And she can't wait to spend all the rest of her wonderful days with them.

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A/N: And here, we shall end Pet AU! I'm so glad I came back to finish it, even if it took over a year for me to get back to it! I hope you all enjoyed this story and AU! Thank you so much for reading!