Pawprints (ch7)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 7. The Warmest Day


The next morning, Weiss regained consciousness with the sound of a familiar rhythm beneath her ear. When her eyes blinked open, she smiled instantly to find her vision met with the dark purple of Blake's shirt, the onyx curls of her hair. She was still sleeping, ears flicking occasionally.

Weiss was intending to lay there quietly until Blake woke, but a shuffling sound from the entrance of the cave alerted her. The huntress stiffened and peek over Blake's sleeping form, already wary. But it was just a small fox that had wandered in, taking some of their leftovers from last night. Not a threat, but still a bit of a nuisance.

"Hey!" she snapped. The animal looked up quickly before tugging off a chunk of meat and scampering off. Weiss sighed, Blake's hunt having gone a bit to waste. "Ugh. We've got to figure something out to prevent that from happening…" she mumbled.

Her shout had roused Blake, and Weiss quickly leaned down to kiss her nose.

"Sorry. Good morning."

. . .

The first thing Blake heard was Weiss shouting, and then the sound of claws clicking against stone. Opening her eyes, Blake saw Weiss sitting up grumbling to herself as she looked at the cave entrance.

"Good morning to you as well," she replied with a smile, kissing Weiss back. "Seems we need to start hiding our food better. Maybe we can hang it up somewhere."

Blake sat up and lazily draped her arms around Weiss' shoulders, still feeling the elation from the previous night. Leaning down, Blake nuzzled Weiss' neck, already purring.

"We've still got some food left, so let's worry about getting water and other necessities for now."

. . .

"You're right." Weiss returned the gesture, bowing her head and nuzzling into Blake's shoulder. "There's a lot to do, but we've got all the time in the world now." And it was so much better now that they'd uncovered their deeper feelings for one another.

Weiss had to stop herself from cuddling Blake too much; if they started doing that now, they'd probably never stop for the entire morning. With regret, Weiss pulled away; they could do such things later after the chores had been taken care of. Their tasks for the day wouldn't take long, after all.

"I'll get breakfast going," she announced. She crossed the cave and inspected whatever meat was untouched, choosing only the promising cuts to bring back and cook. As she sat down beside Blake again, she started listing off what she wanted to do today.

"The weather's clear again, so perhaps we should go down to the stream. We can clean our clothes, bathe, and I'd like to find some rocks where I can sharpen my blades. I want to try and sculpt a bucket of sorts to transport water back here more easily and in larger quantities.

"We can search for big leaves to use for our beds, and also to cover up our water and food. I know where there's a lot of moss growing, so we can take some of that back with us as well. And if we can find a pheasant or turkey wandering the woods, not only would that make for a good meal, but we could use the feathers for bedding as well."

At last, she actually started eating her breakfast. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I just had a lot to think about. We don't have to do everything today." She slid closer to Blake and nudged her affectionately. "We've plenty of time, after all."

. . .

Blake smiled as Weiss nuzzled her shoulder - she was just so happy about everything right now.

Blake listened carefully as Weiss went off rambling, and she started eating the piece of meat Weiss had handed her.

"No need to apologize. It's better to have a plan. And you're right, we do have plenty of time," Blake replied with her own affectionate nudge back.

Finishing her breakfast, Blake stood up and stretched, her arms reaching over her head as she worked out the kinks from sleeping.

"Do you want a ride, or would you like to walk there together?"

. . .

"We can walk together," Weiss decided without much thought.

She stood and scraped dirt over the fire to extinguish it before going to her satchel. She left her rifle at the back of the cave, hidden in the shadows, but put all of her knives into their sheaths on the belt of her hunting shirt. In the spare space of the bag, she packed her hunting clothes that were crusted with blood from yesterday as well as the blanket.

Once she had slung it over her shoulder, she went to Blake and took her hand.

"Let's enjoy the forest together."

She led Blake out, heading toward the path they had taken yesterday, following the marks on the tree trunks. The leaves crunched slightly beneath their feet - Blake's bare ones and Weiss' boots.

The huntress would never not be amazed by the fact that Blake didn't bleed walking on all of these pebbles, but she assumed the pads of her feet were naturally toughened, and she didn't seem to mind.

Weiss was a bit jumpy, however, still paranoid after the attack yesterday. She knew Blake would protect her, and now Weiss had her machetes as well, but all she could remember were the fangs sinking into her shoulder.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she squeezed Blake's hand a little tighter, trying to enjoy the soaking sunlight on her skin instead. It was late summer, so the forest was still green and warm and alive.

Before long, she could make out the babbling of water up ahead, and they quickened their pace eagerly.

. . .

They walked out of the cave and into the sunlight, their feet crunching on the leaves.

They walked hand-in-hand down the path they had marked the previous day, and soon they were back at the stream. Weiss went to fill up the canteen while Blake knelt down and cupped her hands together to drink straight from the water. After drinking her fill, Blake stood up and looked to Weiss.

"So what on the to-do list would you like to tackle first?"

. . .

Weiss knelt down to fill the canteen and fasten it, then dipped her hands into the stream to drink. The water was clear and cool, and Weiss hummed as it went down her throat and settled.

"I'm going to wash the blanket and my hunting clothes first. I can do yours too, if you'd like. I'll probably wash what I'm wearing now when I bathe and use the blanket as a towel." It might be natural to Blake for her to not wear much clothing most of the time, but Weiss still had her limits.

She went to her satchel and took out her hunting attire, putting the weapons aside for now as she knelt at the bank and began scrubbing the blood and grime out, dunking her clothes into the water until they were clean. She repeated the process with the blanket right afterward. She then stood to sling them over the lower branches of a nearby tree in the sunlight to dry.

Next, she looked to Blake so she may take her companion's clothes and begin to wash them. She turned away as Blake disrobed and began to do the same.

. . .

Blake started taking off her clothes, happy that Weiss was looking away as she disrobed. She was used to wearing less clothing, but around Weiss she was more self-conscious about being nude.

Handing the clothes to Weiss, Blake walked a little ways down the stream, looking for an area that was deep enough to bathe in. She found one about ten feet away, a spot where she could sit and even swim a bit if she wanted.

While Weiss washed her clothes, Blake stepped into the deeper end of the water. It was cool and brisk, and the moment it touched her skin, a shiver passed through her body. Blake started washing her hair. Taking a breath, she dunked her head under the water and let every inch of herself be submerged.

. . .

She waited until the sounds of Blake's footsteps got softer with distance. Then, Weiss picked up their clothes and went to the water, dipping her toes in first to test it. It was ten times more frigid to the rest of her body as opposed to just her hands, and Weiss needed to ease herself in.

It took a few moments and probably about a million goosebumps and shudders before she finally submerged herself. She untied her hair from its ponytail, slipping the tie around her wrist before she began to wash it, her tresses staining dark gray with the dampness.

Weiss was sure to rub water all up and down her upper arms, collar, and chest, pinching her nose only once to dunk her face in. She emerged with a loud shivering sound as she shook herself to get the blood flowing through her again.

Then, she started washing hers and Blake's clothes in her lap, using her nails to scrub the materials. She stood briefly just to hang them up to dry before retreating back to the water. Once she'd been in the water for a while, it started to feel warmer, and the strong midday sunlight helped a great deal.

She combed through her wet, stringy hair, enjoying the feeling of getting clean. But she knew she'd enjoy it much more to wrap herself in the warming blanket, perhaps curl up next to Blake in her panther form; her black fur would absorb the sunlight quickly, and her body heat was just naturally higher than Weiss' in that form.

But until then, Weiss parted her lips and began to sing, letting her voice carry down the stream and to Blake's keen ears.

. . .

Blake could hear Weiss get into the water, hear the soft splashes as she stepped in. She could feel her face flush at the thought of Weiss so close to her without clothing.

No, no- I shouldn't think like that...

Blake splashed some cold water on her face to chide herself.

It was then she heard the soft sound of Weiss' singing - a sound like tinkling crystals. It was a wonderful sound, and Blake immediately lost herself in it, closing her eyes and just enjoying the melody. She never knew Weiss could sing. She wanted to stay here and listen forever...

But eventually, Blake realized she needed to get out of the water. Slowly, she walked over to the bank and stepped out. She tread quietly over to where Weiss and their clothes were. She grabbed the blanket to use as a towel to cover herself.

"I'm done," she called out softly when Weiss had finished singing.

. . .

Weiss had been so immersed in the melody of her song, her eyes closed and lips smiling, that she didn't notice Blake's presence behind her until the other girl spoke up. Weiss jumped slightly, quickly covering her chest out of instinct, even though she was turned away from Blake.

"O-Okay," she mumbled, hugging herself as she remained in the cool flow of the water. "Just dry off then. Once you've finished… perhaps you can hunt us some dinner? Y-You can leave the blanket up to dry again and I'll get out in a few minutes once it's warm."

She hoped she wasn't coming across as too pushy. She was just embarrassed, cheeks cherry-red at the thought of being completely naked in front of her companion.

. . .

Blake nodded as she turned away from Weiss, allowing the other girl some privacy. She walked behind a bush and started drying herself off, running the blanket up and down her body to dry more quickly.

Once she was done, she hung the blanket up before putting her hands to the ground and transforming. Her fur was a little wet, but one good whole-body shake did the trick.

She tore off into the forest in search of a future meal. Luckily the stream was the closest source of water for a long way, so animals gathered close by, making Blake's job of hunting infinitely easier.

Within several minutes, she found another family of deer grazing. Unfortunately, they were all healthy, so if Blake missed her initial pounce they would get away before she could recover.

Carefully stalking closer, she leapt from the undergrowth and collided with a young doe, knocking it to the ground where it struggled as she clamped her jaws around its throat. It died quickly and Blake started dragging it back to the stream, hoping that Weiss was ready.

. . .

Once Blake had shifted and trotted off into the forest, Weiss waited a few more moments in the water. There was no other activity around her aside from the small birds and squirrels that darted about - no danger.

When she thought the blanket would be dry, Weiss stood and pulled it down, wrapping it around herself. The heat that had absorbed into the fabrics now pressed directly onto her skin, and she shivered as she fastened it around her body. She wrung out her hair, moving it to the front of one shoulder so the sunlight could hit the back of her neck.

She turned when she heard Blake's unmistakable pawsteps, and saw her companion was dragging a deer behind her. Weiss went to her and pet her between the ears.

"Perfect! You're so skilled as a hunter. You always bring us top-notch kills." She ran her hands down to the underside of Blake's chin and scratched generously. She wrapped her arms around Blake briefly to welcome her return, feeling the natural warmth wafting from her.

Then, Weiss shuddered again, hugging the blanket closer to her wet skin. "S-Sorry to ask after you've just gone off and hunted… b-but may we…?" She trailed off, face flushed pink.

She could really use some warming up right now.

. . .

Blake purred in contentment as Weiss praised her and scratched underneath her chin. Weiss' arms wrapped around her neck in a hug, and Blake stepped in closer to her.

She understood Weiss' request immediately, and her purr became a bit louder at how cute Weiss was being about asking. Blake just slowly nodded her head as best she could before walking over to a clear spot on the ground.

Lazily, she laid down with space for Weiss to curl against her side. She looked up expectantly at her companion and flicked her tail.

. . .

Blake padded not far from her kill before laying down, exposing her side and silently inviting Weiss to join her. Weiss eagerly obliged.

"Thank you…" She bit her trembling lip as she scurried over, keeping the blanket tight around her as she sat in the grass beside Blake. The huntress leaned back against her companion, fitting snugly between the large muscles of her front and hind leg. Blake even went so far as to pull herself into a circle, tail securing the girl in place as the panther's head tucked Weiss snugly into her side.

Weiss could feel the purrs rumbling strongly and fully, and she brought her arms around Blake's neck again as she leaned back against her flank. There was so much warmth surrounding her now, and she couldn't suppress a loud sigh.

"Ah, thank you..." She ruffled the side of Blake's neck with her forehead, burying her face in soft fur. "You're so good to me, Blake." Weiss kissed an ear, stroking her hands slowly all up and down the panther's shoulders, back, and then to her head once more. "I love you, Blake. So much it hurts."

She knew Blake felt the same. And it was a damn good feeling.

. . .

Blake curled herself around Weiss, draping her tail over the white-haired girl. She used her head to make sure Weiss was comfortable against her side. Her purring was strong and rumbled through her body as Weiss wrapped her arms Blake's neck.

Blake appreciated all of the touches and attention. She just wished she could reciprocate as a human, but for now this was more than enough for both of them.

The biggest problem with her panther form was her inability to speak while in it. Blake could only lean her head over and lick Weiss' face gently to show that she felt the same way.

They lay in the sun like that for a while, just relaxing as Weiss dried off and Blake just enjoyed her closeness and her scent.

. . .

Small sounds of content kept slipping past Weiss' lips as she rested her chin atop Blake's head and kept her close, feeling the vibrations of the purrs traveling through both their bodies.

She was so comfortable and warm, Weiss feared she'd never move again.

And honestly, she didn't really have to. Not for a while, anyway.

Just for a little while today, she and Blake decided to indulge in the liberties that came alongside abandoning their pasts. Instead of fighting and hurting, they spent the afternoon happy and safe.

They could only hope it would stay this way.

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A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! It was either split this chapter and the next, or have one massive chapter with too much going on, and I didn't have a lot of time to edit this week, so I went with splitting them! Blake and Weiss deserve a nice happy chapter.