On My Way To You (ch2)

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This chapter is dedicated to macdutton! Thank you so much for the support!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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											Chapter 2. A Night In The Forest

From the very second she'd decided to set out on this journey, Ruby had never expected it to be easy.

Leaving her father and sister behind with nothing more than a note had been difficult enough, but on top of that, there was the matter of actually getting herself to Atlas.

Patch was composed of many miles of deep forest. It was recommended never to go into them alone and unarmed, and especially not after sunset.

/Well.../ Ruby thought as she treaded quietly through the snow. /At least I'm armed.../

She'd hiked through these woods many times before, and the risk of encountering Grimm had always existed. Only now, after that massive dragon had revealed itself and stirred up every last monster from the depths of the shadows, the beasts were three times as active as they'd ever been before.

The broken moon hung trapped behind a shrouded mist overhead, and a light flurry of snow was still falling.

Ruby knew her way to town fairly well, but how she planned to get herself there was a bit of a tricky matter. She needed to move quickly, in case her father woke for some reason to find her gone and started coming after her. If he managed to find her and bring her back home, he'd ensure she could never slip away again.

And besides, Ruby wasn't sure she'd be able to leave her family a second time.

She needed to move quickly to avoid being caught up with, but motion and sound could easily attract any beast's attention in the darkness.

Being it was nighttime, Ruby was put at a disadvantage in terms of sight, even with the faint glow of the moonlight reflecting off the thin layer of snow.

Essentially, she needed to move swiftly and slowly at the same time if she wanted to get to town before dawn.

So she did the next best thing and simply alternated between the two speeds.

For several minutes, she would saunter at a brisk pace, trying to keep the crunching of her boots over the snow to a minimal volume.

Then, she'd pause and focus on her senses, trying to spot anything unnatural or threatening in the immediate area, listening for the sounds of rummaging claws. If she heard none, she'd allow herself a short burst of speed, for just a few seconds, darting through the trees more quickly than a wolf.

But a few seconds was all she could afford – she couldn't risk wasting too much energy before she got out of the woods.

So once again, she'd resort to walking, keeping her eyes and ears alert for any sounds of danger.

It was when the moon was just about directly overhead when she started to run into some problems.

Literally.

She'd just finished a sprint and had slowed her pace, unaware that she was being stalked. As soon as she slowed down and paused to catch her breath, a massive Beowolf was upon her, jaws snarling and claws swinging.

Ruby jumped back, only barely managing to avoid the blades of its claws.

/I need to kill it fast, before all this noise can attract more of them./

She reached for Crescent Rose and extended it to its fullest form, but only now did she realize the weight of her backpack was slowing her down.

Grunting, she fired a bullet, but her aim was off thanks to one of the pack's straps slipping down over her upper arm. The shot only barely grazed the wolf's shoulder, causing it to howl in fury.

"Crap..."

As the wolf yowled in a rage with jaws parted, Ruby took aim again, right down its throat, and fired. The loud howl was cut off abruptly and turned to a sickening gurgle as the corpse collapsed into the snow and began to dissipate.

Ruby wiped her forehead, scanning the surrounding trees for signs of any more Grimm. Luckily, this one appeared to have been a loner, but even so, she knew it wouldn't be long now before more would be on their way to this area.

She put her scythe away, then hurried over across the snow to pick up the expended shell casings, not wanting to leave behind any more evidence than she had to.

/My footprints are already enough clues, and the snow isn't covering them up very quickly.../

She was about to start off again when an idea struck her.

Swiftly, she gathered herself for a burst of energy, but instead of running forward, she began to spin herself around where she stood. Her speed increased rapidly, and within seconds, a miniature red tornado was stirring up the forest.

She figured now was as good a time as any, since the previous wolf had made such a commotion and others were likely on their way now.

So she made quick work of her ability to create powerful winds, which lifted up the snow all around her for many, many yards in an even circumference. It swirled in midair, and the sharp winds caused snow that had been resting atop the tree branches to be dislodged. The snow all mixed together, and essentially erased the least several yards' worth of her footprints.

Ruby slowed herself to a stop and shook herself off a bit to regain her bearings, looking back the way she'd come to find her trail had vanished.

"Yes!" She made a little fist of triumph, though her smile didn't stay for long. She hated having to trick her family and do everything within her power to keep them from finding her, even though she knew they'd be wrought with guilt and fear for her safety.

/I'm sorry... But I'm scared about my friends. I've got to find them.../

So, taking a deep breath, she turned her back on the invisible path she'd left behind, and started off again in the opposite direction.

She made sure to move at a much quicker pace this time, hoping to outrun any Grimm before they could catch sight or scent of her. She knew that feeling upset about leaving Yang and their father behind would only help the beasts find her more easily, so she did her best not to think about that.

But thinking ahead didn't seem very promising either.

She was so worried about Weiss and Blake and all of her other friends, and she wasn't confident at all where she was going or how she would get there-

As if on cue, a sudden trampling of hooves exploded from the undergrowth in front of her. A pack of Boarbatusk now faced her, squealing and screeching, blocking her path in a line of dark, armored bodies.

Ruby felt her heart sink, as she was already quite exhausted from the events of the last several hours. She hadn't actually slept at all since last night, she'd been running for hours now, and had just fought off a huge wolf on her now.

Nonetheless, she took the boars head-on.

/I can't give up here. I've barely even started./

But she wasn't an idiot. She was well-aware of her body's mounting fatigue, and the weight of her backpack was certainly working against her.

She drew Crescent Rose again, swinging it only to aim for the nearest boar. The curve of her blade caught in its tusks, and she wretched them clean off, leaving the beast to slump over and die where it fell.

Six more boars tried to follow its path of attack, but Ruby was quicker. She leapt over their heads just as they began to roll towards her in armored balls of rage.

With them now spiraling in the opposite direction, Ruby landed behind them and took off at top speed, hoping to outrun them. If they caught up to her and she was forced to fight, she'd do it, but if she could avoid it, she'd much rather choose the abstinence option.

As she ran, her thoughts briefly went back to Weiss.

When Ruby had first come to Beacon, she'd been eager to kill every last Grimm in the Emerald Forest, both to show off her skills and to rid Remnant of a bit more evil.

But it had been Weiss who'd taught her that she didn't have to fight every single battle. Sometimes, it was wiser and more resourceful to flee and fight another day.

She was consciously aware that right now, she was demonstrating something she'd learned from her partner.

It made her chest ache with longing, her mind once more overcome by uncertain thoughts of what could've been happening to Weiss right now.

Was her father being mean to her? Forcing her to do things against her will again? Could she even sleep soundly at night in her own room?

Ruby dreaded to think about how unhappy her friend must have been, and with the CCT still down, she had no way of knowing what had become of the rest of them.

Ruby had brought her scroll along with her just in case of a miracle, but it had been estimated that communications would be down and in need of repairs for at least another month.

She couldn't even begin to imagine the horror Weiss must have been feeling for the past several days, and would continue feeling until she got answers. She didn't know what had become of Ruby, Blake, or Yang. For all she knew, the three of them might've been dead.

And her father would surely deny any request for her to find answers for herself.

Ruby's heart was pained in just thinking about it.

Was Weiss still awake tonight, even at this hour? Tossing and turning in bed, crying, plagued by nightmares...?

Even living back in Atlas protected by all of her father's guards and mansion walls, she probably didn't feel safe.

/Not knowing what happened to us... it's probably eating away at her.../

With her mind swirling like the snow she'd just kicked up, she continued to pelt through the forest, unable to keep her thoughts from straying to her partner now.

But surprisingly, no Grimm intercepted her. And Ruby felt she knew why.

Because despite her mental fears for Weiss' wellbeing, Ruby's heart was void of any ounce of uncertainty.

She was going to find Weiss, of that she was sure.

Whilst there may have been doubts and fears in her mind, there was only courage and determination in her heart.

She'd find her. No matter what.

Ruby pushed onward through the woods, eventually slowing her pace when she felt she was out of range of the boars. Judging by the position of the moon, it must have been about 3AM by now, if not later. Her legs were beginning to wobble, and her vision was blurring a bit.

Therefore, after scouring the nearby area for any signs of danger and coming up with nothing, Ruby found a fallen log to sit on for a rest.

Slipping the backpack off was a huge relief for her shoulders, and despite the cold nighttime air, she could feel her clothes clinging to her back with sweat. She shook her shoulders a bit to get rid of the odd feeling, then bent forward to un-zipper the backpack.

Pawing through it, she withdrew a chocolate granola bar and tore into the wrapping to get at the sweet treat. She gobbled it down in just seconds, then stuffed the trash into the bottom of the pocket and pulled out another bar.

As she ate, she was once again letting her mind wander to thoughts of Weiss, Blake, and Yang back at home.

I bet she's still asleep. I know she'll be really upset once she finds out I left, though. Even if she doesn't say it or show it. Which is why I've gotta get to town and get on a ship before dawn.

And who knows where Blake is...? Sun was the last person to see her, but I don't even know where he is. I'm sure she's fine, though. She knows places where she can go to take care of herself.

I'm still worried about Weiss. I wonder what her dad's going to do? What if he sends her away somewhere else to keep her 'safe' and I never see her again-?

A sudden rustling sound distracted her from the frightening thoughts. Ruby jumped to her feet, still clutching her granola bar, instinctively poised to throw it at whatever had approached her.

But it wasn't a Grimm this time.

Rather, it was a squirrel. A very normal, very harmless brown squirrel.

It was perched on the edge of the log she'd been sitting on, cleaning its tail. Startled by her sudden movement, it was now frozen in place, prepared to bolt. Ruby sighed, then laughed softly to herself.

"Aw, sorry, lil' guy. I didn't mean to scare you."

She sat back down and allowed her tense shoulders to relax. She'd been so used to only seeing and fighting Grimm lately that she'd almost forgotten that normal animals still existed.

Breaking off a nutty portion of her bar, Ruby gave a small toss towards the animal. The food landed a few inches in front of it. The squirrel bent down to sniff and inspect the morsel, then picked it up and began to chew rapidly.

Ruby giggled as she watched it eat and took the final bite for herself as well.

It was just a small, simple, short-lived moment of peace and tranquility.

But it was more than enough for her.

Somehow, she felt reassured now, motivated even.

Despite all that had happened back at Beacon and with the Grimm... life still went on.

There were still plenty of people and animals thriving on Remnant, and they needed someone to protect them, lest the Grimm overtake it all.

There were still plenty of things worth fighting for.

With a new conviction boiling within her stomach, Ruby stood and gathered her things. She took a quick sip of water from one of her bottles, then stuffed it back into the side pocket.

The squirrel had finished its meal as well, and watched her, tail twitching. Ruby smiled down at the little animal.

"Thanks for keeping me company, Mr. or Mrs. Squirrel! Stay warm!"

The creature tilted its head, then scampered off up the side of the nearest tree. Ruby watched it go, until the bushy tail was out of sight.

Then, she was off once again.

By now, the night was drawing to an end. The forest around her wasn't quite so dark anymore. It was only a very slight shift in lighting, barely noticeable. But when compared to the darkness she'd been under when she'd fought the wolf, the sky was beginning to lighten, bit by bit.

When she looked up, the sky was clear of any clouds now, and the stars were visible and bright.

Ruby continued on her way, reserved and calm, almost like a sprite of the forest itself. She even passed by a pair of Ursa in the distance, which looked up to acknowledge her presence. But they had no interest in such a fearless being, and soon looked away.

For that final hour of the cold, windless night, Ruby's path remained unobstructed. No more Grimm ambushed her, and nothing hindered her path aside from a herd of deer making their way gracefully through the forest.

Ruby was overcome by a strange sense of tranquility, one she'd never experienced before, at least not in this way.

While the humans and Faunus were struggling to make repairs and fearing war between the kingdoms, the animals were living as naturally and peacefully as ever. Even some of the Grimm seemed docile at times.

Therefore, when she finally reached the end of the forest and could see the waking town beyond, Ruby hesitated for just a moment.

She appreciated how simple it would have been to either go back home, or wait to be found and led back. She could just go return to her family and forget everything that had ever happened, tell herself that Weiss and Blake and the others were all doing fine and would survive on their own.

It would have been easy to forget them, and block out all the painful memories.

But that wasn't living. That was merely existing.

Life came with challenges and painful things. Without them, could simply breathing and existing really be called 'life'?

Not to her. She still needed answers.

Therefore, with one last appreciative thought left behind for the forest, Ruby stepped out of the snow and onto the concrete sidewalks of town.

Leaving behind the silence of nature, she soon hurried into civilization where the air stirred with the sounds of rushing cars and voices. She dashed forward, trying to keep out of sight, even though very few people were awake at this hour.

The town seemed rather similar to the forest, she thought, very quiet and still just before the sun could rise and bring with it new troubles.

Light was just beginning to fill the streets, painting the buildings in pale colors. The purple sky melted into milky pinks and oranges as the last of the stars vanished from view.

Ruby swept through the town like a red breeze, stirring the air, but noticed by no one. Only when she arrived at the air ship docks did she interact with a person for the first time in many long hours.

She wanted to avoid being seen as much as possible, so that when her father eventually came looking for her, he'd be unable to find out who she'd spoken to or where she'd gone.

Therefore, she pulled up her hood and approached the small building beside the ship docks. The woman behind the first information window seemed shocked to have a customer at this hour of the morning, but she answered Ruby's question of which ship would be departing for Atlas.

She warned her, "Atlas is rather far, and with communications still down, making the flight there may not be the best idea."

She tried to persuade Ruby to fly to another kingdom first and proceed to Atlas from there.

But Ruby kindly refused, and handed over her passport information. The woman approved, and once the small fee had been paid, Ruby boarded her ship.

It was entirely empty, with just a faint tune playing over the radio.

At long last, she sat down on one of the seats nearest a window and removed her backpack once more. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and released a long, exhausted sigh.

The flight to Atlas would take until tomorrow, due to how frequently they would need to make stops in other kingdoms and refuel.

Ruby had made it through the first part of her journey – slipped away from home and avoided danger and being caught. She'd need this time on the ship to rest and recuperate, as well as to formulate her next plan of action once she arrived in Atlas. She'd never been there before, and she hadn't the slightest idea how she should go about conducting herself to obtain the desired information.

But she knew that almost anyone would be able to tell her where the Schnees lived, and from that point, it would only be a matter of getting there.

She still wasn't sure how she'd get to Weiss, but Ruby was confident she'd figure something out. So long as she avoided being caught, either by her own father or Weiss'.

Ruby found she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She closed them, just as the sun peeked up above the horizon.

As she faded off into slumber, she sent out silent wishes to her partner.

/Just hang in there... I'll be there soon, Weiss. Promise.../

For now, all either of them could do was wait.

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A/N: The next chapter will focus on Weiss and what she's going through during this time.