Pawprints (ch1)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

Back with another old roleplay, now edited and remastered! I'll be honest, I didn't even remember this one at all, so editing and re-reading it is gonna be an experience for me as well, ahah. We called it Panther AU.

It jumps between Weiss, Blake, and Yang to start. I'll do my best to make it clear who is speaking. My partner wrote Blake and Adam, and I wrote Weiss and Yang, so they're typically mentioned together in the beginning.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

-----------

															 Pawprints

														Chapter 1. The Hunt

The insistent crunching of the leaves beneath her boots was almost infuriating, and Weiss let out a growl. It drew the attention of her blonde companion as they trudged through the unfamiliar forest.

"What's the matter, princess? Not up for the hunt today?" Yang jeered.

"Shut up. Of course I am. It's just that they're going to be alerted to our every damn move at this rate," Weiss snapped, keeping her eyes focused ahead.

"Come on. You really think Panthers are that smart?"

"You think they're not? They're cunning, Yang. They can strategize. You've seen it for yourself, haven't you?" she shot back.

Yang fell silent for a moment, and Weiss knew she was scratching at her companion's old wounds.

"I know…" Yang muttered. "I know that they're just vicious killers. Nothing more. Brainless animals."

Weiss said no more as their band of Hunters continued onward.

Panthers. Shape-shifters, essentially. The genes were arbitrary and had no clear predictability pattern of which peoples' offspring they would show up in. But it wasn't too hard to tell once the baby was born, as its hands and feet were coated in thick fur that melted into the skin. Ones like these were born in human form with the ability to transform into animals.

However, some were born as beasts and stole the ability of taking the human form. They would learn the language, hold their form and hide their fur, infiltrate peaceful towns or campsites and mingle with humanity-

-and then begin a gruesome slaughter.

It was because of reasons like these Remnant's government had demanded the eradication of all Panthers born in beast form. Human-born infants could be taught and coaxed to forget their animalistic tendencies at a young age, but beast-born cubs were to be wiped out completely.

Yang's younger sister Ruby had fallen prey to one instance of Panther infiltration. A Panther who'd taken the form of a young girl had tricked Ruby into friendship, only to suddenly turn on and attack her. The mauling of her left leg had been so bad, it'd put her in a wheelchair and more or less paralyzed her, and current medical technology had yet to find a proper way to mold her a sturdy enough replacement limb.

It was understandable why Yang despised the beasts so much, why she had become a Huntress and decided to devote her life to killing the animals that had maimed her sister. Weiss was only in it for the money, but she could see where the blonde girl was coming from.

She was pulled from her reverie when their leader, Ozpin, instructed the band to halt. He shared a few words with his associate, a woman named Glynda, before she turned back to address the other Hunters of the group.

"We set up camp here for today. There have been no Panthers reported within a five mile radius so far. We'll prepare for the hunt tomorrow."

Weiss shared a glance with Yang who simply shrugged, and they both slipped out of their backpacks and began setting up camp.

. . .

The night air was cool and still around the campground they had set up, the crackling of fire being the loudest noise in the forest. Blake leaned back against the tree she sat near, relaxing herself in preparation for the hunt while her golden eyes flicked around the camp to observe.

The men and women walking around the camp wore simple clothes made of leather or wool. They went about doing whatever jobs they were assigned to keep their pack functioning.

The creak of a tree branch above her was the only warning before a panther landed next to her, its fur black with spots of rust-red flecked through it. Blake looked up as the large cat turned to look at her.

"When do we go hunting, Adam?" she asked. The creature slowly transformed into a man with red hair.

"Soon. I need to gather everyone first. And throw me some pants," he grunted, indicating the pair of simple leggings next to Blake. She picked them up and silently tossed them over along with a shirt. Adam put them on before walking away further into the camp to gather the Panthers taking part in the hunt.

Blake was a Panther, a human child randomly born with the genes that gave her the ability to shape-shift. Her parents had tried to teach her to be human, to forget her animalistic side, but she never forgot.

At first she had rebelled, but when it only brought punishment, she faked obedience, all the while staying in touch with the animal inside her.

She had met Adam as a teenager. He was like her, and they'd formed a fast friendship born of mutual experiences. They'd ran away together in search of other Panthers like them, and soon had a small pack of 30 members. Some of them were human-born Panthers, others animals who had learned to take human form, but all of them were searching for acceptance and family.

She was broken from her thoughts when the animal ears atop her head twitched - keeping her animal ears even while in human form had been a small act of defiance she had picked up as a child that had never disappeared. Adam and eight other members came over to her.

"You ready, Blake?" he asked as they started stripping down. She nodded before standing up and doing the same. Without a word they all transformed into their animal selves, Blake a sleek panther with jet-black fur. They took up an easy pace as they made their way into the forest.

The hunt had begun.

. . .

Dinner was a can of beans over the meager fireplace they had put together. If there was one thing Yang was good for other than hunting Panthers, it was making a fire, and Weiss was thankful to have her.

However, since they planned to go on a hunt tomorrow, the Hunters were also provided with a bit of meat Ozpin and Glynda had procured beforehand. Weiss didn't like the idea of eating meat before a hunt, though; the smell could attract a Panther from miles away, and even though their band was supposedly a good distance away from any of the creatures, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Yang took a seat on the log beside Weiss as she nibbled at her slab of meat, the blonde tearing into hers in a fine display of gluttony.

"So…" she grunted between mouthfuls. "If I can take down three of 'em tomorrow, my kill count will be up to thirty. How many've you gotten since you've joined our humble little band?"

Weiss cast her a quick glance and snorted.

"This will only be my fifth hunt. I've only killed six so far."

"Cubs don't count."

"Ugh, fine. Then I've killed four of them," Weiss grumbled, finishing off her meat. She hadn't taken pride in killing those cubs, but with her peers shouting curses at her until her ears rung painfully, it had been much harder not to.

Yang leaned back and put her hands behind her head.

"I still remember my first kill. It was the bitch that attacked Ruby. I stabbed her with every knife in that kitchen and wrung her damn neck with my bare hands."

Weiss shuddered, "All right, can we not talk about it?" She didn't love her job like Yang did. Weiss just needed cash and she happened to qualify to be a Huntress. Ozpin had actually asked for her specifically, so it was near impossible to refuse, especially when her father had pressured her.

Yang reached out and punched Weiss' shoulder lightly.

"Fine. I'll stop talking. But you're a big softie, Weiss. If you're gonna keeping Hunting, you're gonna have to toughen up more. This is the real world and it ain't pretty. If you're too soft, this job'll be the death of you."

She wouldn't be the first.

"…We should get to bed," Weiss sighed. "We'll be getting up at the crack of dawn, so let's change and kill the fire." Neither of them had to keep watch tonight, so Weiss intended to sleep.

"All right, all right," Yang complied.

They changed into casual wear, Yang in shorts and a tank top and Weiss a blue nightgown - an absolutely awful choice no one had thought to advise her against.

The fires were put out as the Hunters retreated to their tents, all but two who kept the first vigil by guidance of flashlights. Several traps had been set up around the campsite as well for good measure.

Weiss laid down beside Yang, falling asleep just as she did every night; to the sound of the blonde's snores, and the bloody mental images of her first kills.

. . .

The night was nearly silent as they moved through the forest, only the muffled sound of paws on the grass and the occasional creak of a tree branch giving away that they were there at all.

Blake loved the freedom and heightened senses that her panther form gave her - even in the dead of night the forest was alive with sounds that only their ears could pick up on.

Panthers had to expend a small amount of energy to hold their secondary form, whether it was human or animal. Blake could feel the burn of exertion as her powerful legs moved underneath her, a feeling that made her feel alive.

A growl from Adam brought them all to a stop. They knew that if he was making such an obvious noise it was important for him to get their attention. He transformed back into a human as he crouched in the darkness, everything but his face obscured as he looked at them.

"Hunters up ahead, about 500 meters to the edge of their camp," he hissed, and the moment the words left his lips Blake felt her pulse quicken as she transformed as well.

"Hunters? Why are they here?" Blake asked.

Another Panther transformed to join the discussion as the others listened.

"What should we do now Adam?" he asked.

The red-haired man in question took a moment to think his answer through.

"It doesn't matter why they're here. We keep moving and avoid them. We're hunting for food, not a fight. Now let's go. And not a sound, got it?"

They all transformed and kept moving, the original mission still on even with the added obstacle of Hunters in the area.

. . .

It was gray when Weiss next opened her eyes to a prodding elbow. She rolled over to glare at the blonde responsible.

"What is it? There's still an hour until dawn."

"Nope. We're gettin' up now, princess," Yang said quickly, already slipping into her hunting pants and top. "The guys keepin' watch last night all said the same thing; they heard too much noise for there not to be a pack of cats roamin' around out there. But a few minutes ago, we just got the word that they're straying closer, so we've been ordered to move out." She pulled on her boots as Weiss sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Yang tossed her an energy bar before standing. "We leave in two minutes." And with that, she disappeared outside.

Weiss sat there a moment and did what she did before every hunt. She wasn't a religious person, but when she was about to take lives, she sent prayers up to whomever would accept them.

Then, she threw her blankets aside and shed her nightgown, biting into the energy bar as she slipped into her pants and tied her boots tightly. Once she'd finished eating and getting changed, she hurried out to the tent where their weapons were kept and pulled out her rifle, making sure it was loaded before slipping her machetes and other various knives into place on her belt. In a pouch at her hip were also a few vials of poison.

She paused once everything was in place.

Seven.

Just seven more.

That was all she needed to kill until she'd reached her quota.

Each Panther hide she sent home to her father was worth a certain amount of lien, and if she could just send him seven more, she would be pulled from the group and brought back home.

Resolved, at least in her mind, she ran back out just as the groups were being divided. Two people were to stay and guard the campsite, mainly their food, medical supplies, and leftover ammunition, but the other eighteen of them were to hunt.

Ozpin placed her in Yang's group as per usual before looking over them all.

"Their numbers are estimated to be between twenty-five and thirty-five, so prepare yourselves. Remember your basic training to aim for the heart or the head. Their hide is thick, but aim correctly at either of those two spots, and you've won. And remember to show no mercy; we're fighting to the death."

With a wave of his hand, he gave the signal.

Weiss glanced up at the slowly-brightening sky one last time and apologized before she followed after Yang.

. . .

The grey light of the dawn backlit their mad dash through the forest back to camp. Blake cursed to herself as she glanced around at the other Panthers who were running beside her, tearing through the undergrowth.

They had continued on through the jungle silently after they'd found the Hunter camp. They'd eventually reached their prey, a small herd of deer who had bedded down for the night. It had been a perfect hunt - they'd surrounded the unaware deer and had planned to silently kill them to avoid alerting the Hunters.

But one of the younger Panthers in their group had missed his first prey and it'd started thrashing, alerting the others. The deer had fled toward the Hunters' camp, and the Panthers had panicked and started running back without any of the prey they had managed to kill, not wanting to be slowed down in any way.

Blake's worst fear was confirmed when she saw the Hunter camp alive with activity; they had heard them and now they were mobilizing.

Blake was the first to break into her own camp grounds, quickly transforming back to a human. She ran through the camps, giving quiet warnings and instructions to everyone she saw. Adam was doing the same as were the other members of the hunting party; they needed to move. They were no longer safe with Hunters moving so close.

. . .

Weiss could hear the commotion throughout the forest, and it wasn't just their band of Hunters anymore. She could make out the sounds of huge, heavy paws trampling the earth, but it was quick and frantic.

This wasn't right. Those weren't the slow, strategic sounds of a pack on the prowl. It wasn't calculating and purposefully silent; they weren't hunting - they were running away. This wasn't a hostile pack.

She froze just as the rest of her companions did at Ozpin's silent signal. They instantly crouched down into the underbrush, taking cover behind the bushes. Yang yanked her down by her belt and Weiss grunted, glaring at her.

"What's your problem?"

"You didn't take cover!" the blonde snapped. "If you don't follow orders, you'll end up dead, princess."

"Hardly," she hissed back. "This pack isn't confrontational; they're trying to run! We should let them go-"

"Can it, princess," Yang growled. "Our job is to eliminate all the Panthers, Beast or Human-born."

"It's mindless slaughter," she muttered.

Yang was clearly about to make a remark, but a wave up ahead from Ozpin silenced them. At his command, the Hunters readied their rifles. The pack was thirty seconds away, and they were to ambush them.

Weiss hated hiding in the shadows like a coward, but she had no choice. She readied her rifle and got into position.

. . .

Blake's pack members moved as quickly as they could. Half of them transformed into their Panther forms, and the other half stayed human to take their belongings and run in the opposite direction.

Those in the Panther group were to act as a diversion for the others - they were made up of the strongest and fastest, aside from the few who went to keep the other group safe.

Blake was in the diversion group, running through the undergrowth of the forest along with ten other Panthers. They were heading in the direction of the Hunter camp, to have the best possible chance of drawing the enemies' attention towards them and not the others. They would meet at a prearranged point once they had all escaped the area.

Blake was just worried about how many would be left.

The faint smell of gunpowder and sweat reached Blake's nose, barely perceivable even to her enhanced senses. She slowed almost imperceptibly as she tried to figure out the source of the smell; it was growing stronger as they ran. Blake realized the smell was coming from ahead of them, and a split second of fear gripped her before she heard the order:

"FIRE!"

. . .

Weiss wasn't sure which second was worse; the second before the order was given, when they all held their breaths and their guts twisted with anticipation and fear, or the second the attack was given, when they needed to leap from their hiding places and start shooting.

Regardless, both were hell.

Weiss uttered one last apology as the command was given, and she pulled the trigger not a heartbeat later.

The rest of her companions did as well, all firing in unison, making for a deafening blast that reverberated around the forest, sending birds flying and screeching alarm calls.

But they had wings. Those on the ground weren't so lucky.

Everything was chaos. Roars erupted from the area in front of them where the Panthers had gathered and crossed the Hunters' path. But Weiss knew she was right; these weren't sounds of rage and murderous intent, they were sounds of pain and fear. This pack wasn't attacking them - they were merely defending themselves.

But she didn't have a choice.

Standing quickly from where she had been crouching beside Yang, Weiss surmised there were about ten of them. She also noticed that her first bullet had missed.

But true to her nickname of Big Cat Killer, Yang had shot one of them in the shoulder. A few others shot at the cat as well until it fell onto its side; belly exposed, it was an easy target for more bullets and knives.

Weiss looked away.

A male Panther was charging toward a few more of her companions, unaffected by the bullets that missed the most vital of areas. It disarmed one of the men with a mighty paw, and the Hunter caught Weiss eye just as he fell to the ground.

"Schnee! Shoot it!" he bellowed.

Weiss grimaced as she raised her rifle and took aim. She only had a second until the cat's jaws clamped onto her companion's shoulder, so she fired almost instantly. The Panther yowled and fell back, letting the man scramble away. Two rustic-colored eyes turned on Weiss and a growl passed through its lips.

The Huntress stood her ground, having long-since been forbidden to run when face-to-face with a beast. She took aim again, but another bullet hitting the animal's rear caused it to change its course and direct its attention at another spot.

Weiss remembered to breathe before she turned around, looking for more cats to fend off.

. . .

The sound was deafening as dozens of guns fired all at once, all of them aimed at the spot where Blake and her companions were. Roars and yowls echoed through the forest as some of the other Panthers were hit.

Blake avoided taking a bullet; her last-minute hesitation had slowed her down. The scene around her erupted into chaos as dozens of Hunters burst from the their hiding spots with guns and swords, attacking any panther they saw.

In seconds, Blake saw one of her friends being killed by numerous gunshots to the stomach, another was shot as it tried to immobilize a Hunter.

But it wasn't a one-sided fight. Adam was thundering around, his razor-sharp claws severing hamstrings and his jaws closing around throats.

Blake could feel her stomach turn over at the death that was all around her. She sprinted to the left, wanting to escape, but a Hunter stepped in her path, gun raised. She jumped and landed on the man, knocking his gun aside. He looked up at her with fear in his eyes.

But Blake just leapt off of him and sprinted away from the carnage and bloodshed, wanting to disappear further into the woods. Behind her, a mangled cry rang out before descending into gurgling, and then silence.

. . .

Weiss could see the fight was about even.

Of the eighteen Hunters that had been dispatched, Weiss had seen two killed and five run off in retreat without weapons left to fight with. Two Panthers had been slaughtered already, and almost all of them were wounded in some way.

Yang was fighting furiously, smeared with blood, the powerful swings of her machete just as effective as a swing from one of the mighty paws. She was ruthless and brutal, fueled by rage and wrath and the thirst for revenge. But she wasn't mindless in battle either. She took aim carefully, rarely ever missing her target.

But there was only a certain level of merciless killing Weiss could handle.

Some Hunters killed for the sake of killing the beasts, but others wanted pelts. Most Panthers stayed in beast form if engaged in battle with Hunters for the advantages their cat forms gave them. But if they truly wanted to surrender, they would take their human forms in hopes of gaining sympathy, or if they simply weren't willing to give those with guns the pelts they sought.

After all, the form they died in was the form their bodies stayed in.

But some Hunters would likely still kill them anyway out of spite. Yang was included in the latter group, while Weiss liked to believe she was in the former.

A young male Panther had been caught in one of the traps set up around their campsite ahead of time, one hind leg snagged in the sharp teeth of a tiger trap. Weiss was the first to stumble upon him as he thrashed about furiously in an effort to dislodge it, but each movement only brought more pain - Weiss could see it in his terrified eyes. She took aim and watched his ears flatten in terror.

She only needed seven more pelts-

-but she couldn't kill him. Not like this. Not when he couldn't even put up a fight to defend himself. Not when he was likely only trying to protect his family somewhere off in the woods.

No one else was watching her.

She held the cat's gaze for a second; he was terrified, but far too prideful to try and earn sympathy by turning into his human form. If he died, he wanted it to be as a Panther.

Yang wasn't the only Huntress with near-flawless aim.

In battle, unless hers or someone else's life depended on it, Weiss put on the guise of being a rookie, almost always missing her mark purposefully, hitting flanks instead of chests, shoulders instead of heads.

But in actuality, she had qualified to be a Huntress, and her aim was superior to Yang's.

Weiss shot at the trap's wire, disabling the snare instantly as it fell limp around the Panther's back leg. He stared at Weiss for a moment, but she simply shrugged. Then he dipped his head, turned tail, and fled into the bushes.

"Hey!"

Weiss went stiff when a shout sounded from behind her, and she whipped around to see Yang storming over to her. The blonde shot a round after the Panther Weiss had released, but he was already gone.

Dread crashed over her as Yang lowered her rifle; had she seen?

"Sorry," Weiss said quickly. "I-"

"Don't sweat it. Sometimes they twist around and you miss. That was just a really unfortunate shot on your part." She patted Weiss' shoulder roughly. "But the battle's still ragin' so we should get back." With that, she charged off through the undergrowth, following the sounds of shouts and snarls.

Weiss swallowed and went after her.

. . .

Blake ran as fast as her legs could carry her, the undergrowth of the forest slowing her down a little. She could hear the yowls of pain from her companions and the cries of agony from the Hunters.

It all made her sick to her stomach and sad with this world.

She saw the blonde titan of a Huntress attacking Panthers with viciously powerful machete swings. Blake avoided getting too close to that Hunter, and so were all of the Panthers who still had full mobility.

Blake was skirting the edges of the battle, trying to remain unseen by hiding in the shadows cast by the trees in the early morning light. She almost made it out when she looked to her left and saw a white-haired Huntress also on the edge of the fighting.

Blake was going to turn and run right when the Huntress made eye contact with her. A moment of stillness passed between them as they both remained still. Then the Huntress raised her gun, and Blake made a dash to close the distance and make the weapon ineffective.

. . .

She ended up on the outer ring of the battle, far enough away from the heart of the fray that she could catch her breath.

But she had yet to kill one, damn it.

Hunters kept track of how many Panthers they killed in a battle, so in the end, when they walked around the area, they could claim bodies for their Kill Counts. Chances were that another Hunter had seen the kill and could validate who got the pelt.

The only way Weiss would luck out was if a Hunter who had killed a Panther had been killed as well and she could claim that pelt as her own. But it was risky to claim another person's kill, because if anyone had seen or had proof it hadn't been hers, she could get into a world of trouble even worse than the one she was already in.

She'd been mulling it all over with the sounds of fighting in the distance when a flash of movement caught her eye.

The Panther she saw was unlike any other. Sleek, well-muscled, with thick ebony fur that shone in the sunlight even in the midst of a battle, hardly matted or punctured by any cuts or wounds.

Weiss knew all the things to look for in a good pelt.

It was extremely rare to ever get such a blessing. Usually the cats killed at the beginning of the fight or in one shot were the best kills because their fur didn't have the chance to get too damaged in the fray.

But this one…

This one was probably worth three of her seven remaining pelts.

Weiss couldn't afford to pass this up.

She raised her rifle and took aim between the eyes, now being one of the few times she'd aim for real and not for show.

But it was fast.

The Panther charged her before she could even lift the gun entirely. Weiss fired in panic, and the bullet scored one of the front paws, but it didn't stop the cat from letting out a roar and bowling into her full-force, staggering her and knocking her back until-

-there was nothing.

The ground fell away from her and she lost her rifle as the Panther brought them both over a hidden cliff face. They rolled down the rocky hillside together, the giant, heavy body crushing the breath from Weiss as she tumbled, smashing against the sharp rocks and feeling like different bones broke every time.

When it was finally over, they rolled off into the grassy ravine at the bottom, several feet between them.

Weiss couldn't get up. She was barely even conscious. She could feel blood trickling from somewhere but she wasn't sure where.

So this is how I die? Fitting. This'll be easier than continuing to hunt like this, anyway…

She coughed painfully and closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

. . .

The blast of the rifle preceded the searing pain Blake felt in her left paw, but the adrenaline coursing through her dulled the pain and she kept charging. She roared as she leaped onto the Huntress.

Blake was anticipating the hard ground to stop the descent, but only empty air met them.

They tumbled down the cliff, rolling as every rock seemed to rise up to meet Blake and injure her further. The body she had tumbled with hadn't been heavy, but it seemed that the rocks had made up for this by attacking Blake.

Right as they reached the end of their downward journey, the back of Blake's head struck a rock. Her vision blurred as she felt the small trickle of blood from the wound. She could barely concentrate. The world around her blurred and spun as she saw the Huntress stand on shaky legs.

I hope she makes it quick at least...

Blake lie still on her side, hoping maybe the Huntress would think the fall had killed her so her weapons wouldn't have to.

. . .

Like hell.

Like hell she was going to die here. She only needed to send her father seven more pelts, and then she could go back home to her normal life and put all of this behind her, at least physically. If she could kill this cat, she could bring her requirements down to only four more.

If she took this life now, it was one less she'd have to take in the future.

With that in mind, Weiss forced herself up, a concussive throbbing pounding through her head and sending shockwaves throughout her entire body. She staggered to her feet, looking past the blood that bleared her vision to locate the Panther.

It wasn't getting up, and she needed to kill it before it had the chance to change forms.

She drew one of her machetes, considering it a miracle that she hadn't lost all of the knives and that none of them had came loose and stabbed her on the way down. She could've used her poison, but that would make for a slow, painful death, and she refuse to do that if she could help it. One puncture with the knife between the eyes was all it would take.

She limped over to the helpless animal, feeling bile rise up in her throat at what she was about to do.

Please forgive me.

But when a sudden surge of pain ripped through her torso, Weiss let out a strangled cry and dropped her blade. She fell to her knees mere feet away from the Panther and cringed onto her side in agony at some internal hindrance. Tears jumped into her eyes as she curled in on herself, coughing wildly as her body jerked in sporadic motions.

Oh god… Just kill me now…

. . .

Blake watched with her fuzzy vision as the Huntress pulled out one of her machetes and made her way over with staggering steps. Blake closed her eyes, wanting to let her death be quick, and knowing the Huntress would do so to preserve her pelt.

Just make it painless...Blake begged silently, even though she knew the Huntress couldn't hear her.

The end never came.

The brief flash of pain before death never arrived for Blake. All she heard was a strangled cry and the clatter of metal on stone.

She slowly opened her eyes to look and see what was going on, why the Huntress hadn't struck her down and ended it.

The white-haired girl was lying on her side, curled in on herself as she coughed and twitched sporadically, the machete forgotten on the ground as the Huntress suffered from some pain incurred on the fall down.

Blake could feel her strength returning already - Panthers had increased endurance and regenerative abilities. The fur slowly receded into her body, bones and muscles realigning themselves back into their human form.

Shakily, Blake propped herself up, still disorientated but quickly regaining her bearings. She looked at the fallen Huntress - the one who was trying to kill her. She should feel feel anger or resentment, but all she could muster was pity for the wounded girl.

Blake pushed to her feet and limped over to her. Kneeling down, she pressed her hands to the girl's side, letting her aura flow into her to heal her.

I'm such an idiot... She's going to try and kill me once I finish healing her.

But even still she healed the girl to the best of her abilities.

. . .

"Ah-! Hnn…" Weiss sputtered, chest heaving as she tried to fill her lungs. "Kill me, just kill me..." She begged silently to whatever forces would take her up on the offer. Her aura wasn't strong enough to heal it, whatever it was. She hadn't eaten enough and was too exhausted from the battle and the fall down the cliff.

The pain was spreading and getting worse, and she couldn't concentrate enough to draw breath. A slight rustle of leaves signified the Panther had moved; she was going to die here, after all.

Suddenly, there was a pressure on her ribs past her layered clothing, and she cringed. But it wasn't jaws clamping down or giant paws trying to crush her.

Instead, they were small, gentle hands, and Weiss opened her eyes slowly as she felt the sensation of another aura flowing into her, spreading warmth throughout.

A young girl probably about her own age sat before her. A thin layer of black fur ran around her legs and up to her naval, all around her back and chest, exposing only a bit of her stomach and everything above her collar to show smooth, white skin. A tail twitched nervously behind her in the dust, and her catlike ears were flattened with fear atop her head.

It took a moment for Weiss to register what was happening. The Panther had changed forms. She couldn't have the pelt now…

No. How was she even thinking about that now? This girl was healing her. Even after they'd tried to kill each other just moments ago…

It only served to prove everything Weiss had ever believed.

Weiss wheezed, feeling the pain gradually start to subside, noticing the girl's left hand was bleeding a bit as well. She looked up to seek her eyes, instantly getting lost in captivating gold. The Huntress could only stammer as she lie at the girl's hands.

"Wh… what are you… doing…?"

. . .

Blake poured her aura into the girl, careful to leave enough should she need to change forms and flee. The girl looked up at her, Blake's amber eyes meeting mist-blue. The sound of the girl's thin, weak voice startled Blake. Her ears pressed flat against her skull and her tail flicked erratically.

"Shhh, d-don't talk. You hurt yourself really badly," Blake responded, avoiding the actual question. What was she doing? Here she was helping the enemy, a Hunter who devoted her life to killing Blake and her kind.

But the pity she felt for the injured girl was more than any resentment Blake harbored. She couldn't let the girl slowly bleed out and die. And Blake was no murderer by choice and refused to kill her to put her out of her misery.

Another few moments of silence passed between them as Blake finished healing the fallen girl as much as she could. An unnerving atmosphere surrounded them, neither sure how to proceed in this unusual situation.

. . .

Hurt myself? You're the one that tackled me off a cliff!

But Weiss didn't say it aloud, because she'd been the one to aim the gun at the girl first. Her injuries were her own fault.

She could feel the wound's severity lessening, becoming less and less of a danger to her as the girl finished healing her.

Weiss pushed herself up, still fearful and wary that the black-haired girl might transform and pounce on her. But why would she waste her aura on Weiss only to kill her? That didn't make sense.

She caught her breath and looked the peculiar girl up and down, amazed at the near-perfect human form, aside from the fur, ears, and tail. Weiss assumed this girl was Human-born. She'd been right all along about this pack not being hostile.

"I knew it…" she muttered.

She noticed a slight nick in the girl's left ear, an old wound she assumed was from some other unwarranted attack from Hunters.

"Damn it…" Weiss spat. This was what she was afraid would happen; that she'd start to sympathize with them more than she already did. If she could just mindlessly slaughter like Yang, this would be easy, but…

Weiss reached out and took the girl's injured hand, emitting her aura onto the wound before she could pull away.

"I repay my favors," she grumbled, trying to sound confident, though her hands were shaking. She kept her eyes trained on the fur-coated hand in her lap, admittedly scared to look back up into her eyes.

What the hell am I doing…?

. . .

Blake turned her head away as she noticed the other girl observing her, the mist-blue eyes looking up and down her body. Blake was suddenly very aware of her lack of clothes; only a small amount of fur on her body offered her any modesty.

She could clearly hear the girl muttering to herself. Blake's enhanced hearing allowed her to make out the words, but she decided to not comment.

She flinched away when the Huntress reached out to take her hand, but she couldn't pull away before the white-haired girl had her hands clasped around Blake's. A soothing cool aura flowed into Blake's wrist, healing the wound that the bullet had caused.

The other girl kept her hand around Blake's, resting it in her lap and staring. Blake cleared her throat to get the girl's attention.

"Thank you…?" She left it hanging in the air, unsure.

. . .

The sounds of the battle were dying down in the distance, and Weiss could only hope no more from either side had died aside from what she'd already witnessed beforehand.

She'd be in immense trouble if anyone - Panther or human - found her now.

But it was hard to pull her eyes away from the Panther girl's gaze, and Weiss couldn't help but notice that her torn left ear very much mirrored the scar over Weiss' own left eye. A Panther had given her that scar in her first hunt ever, and she assumed this girl had a similar story to her injury.

She had to admit she was mildly curious…

She finished healing the girl's hand, yet it wasn't pulled away from her fingers, nor did she push it away purposefully. What was this girl asking from her?

"Don't… don't take this the wrong way. I had… every intent to kill you. Your pelt's beautiful," she grumbled, trying to keep up the act. "I'm a Huntress, and killing is all I'm here to do. You're lucky you changed forms. I won't kill you like this…"

. . .

Blake could hear the sounds of the battle above them dying down, though even with her enhanced hearing she couldn't tell which side had won.

Her hand remained in the Huntress'. The other girl had a scar that ran down the left side of her face, very clearly from a claw.

"I know you intended to kill me. Thank you, though... for not..." Blake stiffened as she used her right hand to tap her left that rested in the Huntress'. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she thought about the statement that the Huntress had made. "Why won't you kill me like this?" she questioned.

Most Hunters killed all Panthers they came into contact with, whether they were in human or Panther form.

. . .

"Hmph. It's because of what I said before. Your pelt would be worth triple any other cats'. It'd be a terrible shame and a waste of an opportunity to kill you in this form and lose all of that fur."

Weiss considered drawing one more of her smaller knifes that rested on her belt, that if she threatened the girl, perhaps she'd change forms again in self-defense.

But…

But she didn't want to kill her.

She didn't want to kill any of them.

A horribly foolish thought crossed her mind then, and Weiss met the girl's eyes, her own blue ones serious as she parted her lips.

"Could… could you-"

"Weiss?!"

A familiar cry sounded from the top of the cliff, and Weiss slapped a palm to her mouth.

Yang.

"You have to get out of here," Weiss growled, shoving the Panther girl away from her. "Even if you take your cat form, I won't kill you today. But she will." Weiss ushered the girl away, waving her hands furiously as she heard pebbles tumbling down the cliff, signifying Yang was coming down.

"Go!" she hissed at the girl. "I'm definitely going to get that pelt of yours, but not today. So get out of here!"

. . .

Blake could hear the desperation in the girl's voice as she tried to chase Blake off. She could sense something about this white-haired Huntress, something that was different from other Hunters, but she couldn't tell what it was.

The other Huntress had called out a name; 'Weiss.' That must be hers.

Blake paused for a moment to look back at Weiss. Huntress or not, she'd spared Blake's life today, and that's more than could be said for any other full-fledged human. Blake showed gratitude in the only way she knew how to, bending down to lick Weiss' knuckles once.

"Thank you, Weiss. For not killing me. My name is Blake." She backed away and quietly shifted forms before racing off. She headed for the rendezvous point with the rest of the pack.

She wondered if she'd ever see Weiss again.

------------

A/N: All right gonna end chapter 1 here! This one was a long one to get the story-building and characters established, but I'm gonna try to make future chapters a bit shorter, depending on where it feels right to put a pause on the events.

Re-reading it now, I think this was one of my friends' and my greater AU ideas! It's definitely different from my usual!