Beyond The Stables (ch9)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

We're drawing near the end so it's about time something big happened, wouldn't you think?

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 9. The Darkest Night

When dawn broke, it was Weiss who woke first that morning.

For a moment, she simply listened to the sounds of the stables – the slight shifting about of the horses as they roused themselves, the quiet dripping of raindrops off the rafters into small puddles outside...

And of course, the little snores coming from the girl on her chest.

Weiss lifted a hand and pet through Ruby's hair, wanting to let her rest for just a few more minutes. Ruby always worked so hard, and last night had been rough. Weiss wanted her to have this.

She directed her gaze up to the wooden roof, cobwebs swaying in the slight breeze that entered the stables. The heavy scent of wet grass and soil filled her lungs, mixed with a bit of dust.

Unfortunately, that was what ended up making Weiss sneeze, and consequently, Ruby woke with a surprised snort.

"Huh, wha-?"

"Sorry," Weiss sniffled. "I'd wanted to let you sleep a bit."

"Oh, I slept plenty!" Ruby reassured her. "It's time to get going!" She pushed herself up on her palms, hovering over Weiss for a moment to press a chaste kiss to her lips.

Then she sat up and pulled the white-haired girl up with her. She busied herself for a minute by picking bits of hay out of Weiss' hair, earning a kiss as thanks.

After that, the day went much the same as yesterday had gone.

Weiss helped Ruby in feeding the horses, then they parted ways to shower and begin their routines.

But Weiss found herself to be more anxious than excited all day, as though there was something lodged in her throat that she couldn't displace. She did her best to ignore it, but even seeing Ruby at lunchtime to discuss their final night of training didn't help her much.

But once she saw the stablehand's bright smile, Weiss couldn't help but try to reflect it, and appear as though she were fine.

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Night fell, and Weiss headed down to the stables for the last time.

If all went well tonight, tomorrow she would bring Zuri out into the main corral in broad daylight and show her father what both the stallion and Weiss herself were capable of.

She greeted Ruby with a kiss, discovering the brunette had already put Ebony's bridle and saddle on the mare to waste less time. Weiss only had to slip Zuri's bridle on, and then they were off.

It took a few anxious moments of waiting before Ruby led the mare out into the night, and then signaled for Weiss to do the same. But both girls and horses managed to make it to the path of the old corral undetected.

Once safe, Ruby let out a relieved sigh.

"We made it. This is it, Weiss. Our last night."

"Yes..." Weiss mumbled from beside her.

Ruby was too excited to notice the distracted tone of her voice, and she continued marching on happily.

"But, even though we'll be saving Zuri, I think I'll be a little sad after all this is over. The stable gets kinda lonely at night..."

Weiss managed to spare her a glance, rolling her eyes playfully to try and lighten her own mood.

"Then sleep in your cabin like a normal person, you dunce."

"Eheehee," she laughed sheepishly. "But that's no fun to do every night of the year! Gotta switch it up a bit, y'know? And then switch up the nights alone in the stables, too!"

Weiss caught her drift and gave a brief nod.

"We'll see how everything goes tomorrow," she said. "If my father is impressed and in a good mood about everything, perhaps I'll tell him about us."

Ruby squeaked and blushed just at the mention of it.

Until now, she'd thoroughly enjoyed having Weiss all to herself in secrecy, with no one around to witness them but the horses. The prospect of possibly making their relationship known to Weiss' father – and hence the rest of the ranch – both terrified and excited Ruby.

"That'd be weird to get used to.." she mumbled as they continued to lead the horses. "I mean, it'd be kinda nice because we wouldn't always have to hide behind the stables whenever we kissed before lunch. Maybe we could just kiss... all the time! Whenever we wanted! And it wouldn't matter who was around to see it or not!"

The thoughts made both Ruby and Weiss herself blush slightly. The older girl looked briefly to the muddy ground underfoot.

"I suppose... that would be rather nice. Not having to hide it from anyone. Though I'll always enjoy having you to myself."

"Yeah! Me too!" Ruby agreed. "And like, maybe I can even start calling you my girl... friend..." Her voice dropped to a mumble as she finished the foreign word. Weiss sputtered slightly at the sound of it.

"I... yes, I suppose we could call one another that."

From the corner of her eye, she watched as Ruby's face lit up brighter than the stars above.

The younger girl all but pranced the rest of the way to the old corral, opening the gate for Weiss and Zuri before slipping in with Ebony afterward.

"Okay," Ruby grunted as she worked one boot into the stirrup. "Let's do this." Swinging her other leg over the horse's back, she grabbed the reins and held the mare in place, waiting for Weiss to mount as well.

Weiss braced one hand on the stallion's bare back, keeping hold of his bridle with the other as she hauled herself up and over his spine. Once situated, she got a grip on the reins and patted his neck.

"All right," she said, looking to Ruby. "Let's just start with another walk."

They moved their horses side by side, and together, they began lapping the corral, keeping a few feet away from the fence.

Weiss went over all the directional pulls a few times, pulling left to bring the horse right and vice versa. She pulled to stop him and gave a light kick to his flank to get him going.

All in all, he obeyed every command any other horse would. He just didn't like wearing a saddle.

"I can't believe that's all it was," Weiss murmured happily.

But she was also still irked that no one in the entire staff on this ranch had ever thought to consider such a thing. All they'd heard about Zuri were rumors from previous owners, about how unstable he was, about his unpredictable behavior. By the time he'd been transferred here, he'd had such a bad reputation that even Ruby had initially been wary of him.

Weiss hated to think that other peoples' lack of interest in him and fear of him could have gone so far that people would deem him unridable, and thus worth more dead than alive.

She couldn't believe how absurd all of that was. This perfectly good horse was going to be senselessly euthanized because he didn't like to wear a saddle like the others.

Weiss scoffed as the troublesome thoughts filled her mind.

/Well, that's all in the past now,/ she thought. /It won't happen. After I've shown his progress to my father, we'll surely keep Zuri around. And we'll make news in doing so. Our ranch being his last chance, and then he's saved just a few days before the scheduled euthanization? We'll get quite a good reputation after that news spreads around./

She'd gotten lost in her thoughts and the sway of the horse's body for a moment, and hadn't realized that Ruby and Ebony had paused.

"Hey, Weiss!" she called over to her. The older girl halted and looked back. Ruby was smiling eagerly. "Did you say you wanted to try a gallop?"

Weiss knew her eyes must have lit up at the offer, because Ruby laughed a bit as she waved her over. Once Weiss was close enough, Ruby started giving her tips.

"All right, so to get him galloping, just give him a few extra kicks since we didn't bring crops. Loosen the reins a bit and give him some more control and space to move his head. He'll need to move it around a bit when he runs. And I guess just have him lap the corral since there isn't much space in the middle with that jump there."

Ruby decided to try a gallop out for herself first, and Weiss hung back for a moment as she took off on Ebony. She watched how Ruby maneuvered herself in the saddle, how she kicked lightly and gave the mare some leeway.

The black horse's legs started to kick up mud as she increased her speed into a steady gallop. She passed by Zuri, and the stallion gave a little nicker, seeming eager to join her on the run.

"All right, boy," Weiss patted his neck. "Let's go."

She gave a few kicks to his flanks, then loosened the reins, bit by bit as to not let him burst forward suddenly.

He started at a walk, then Weiss moved him to a trot, until finally he was at a lazy gallop.

Her heart was pounding as she finally experienced what it was like for herself.

The horse's powerful body carried her effortlessly, and she felt positively weightless. After so many years of being tied down by school lessons and business numbers, it was liberating, to say the very least.

It was a bit of a fear-inducing event, to put her full trust into this massive creature, but she wasn't scared.

She loved it.

She loved feeling the wind weaving through her hair after she'd thrown caution to it.

She loved feeling how her body moved with the animal.

They got to a point where neither Weiss nor Zuri were in control. It was almost like a dance, perhaps a bit of a reckless one, but they'd found a chemistry of sorts, a common ground where one would pull just enough, but not too much to restrain the other.

Even long after Ruby and Ebony had pulled aside to watch, Weiss and Zuri didn't stop.

Ruby marveled at the sight of her, falling in love all over again.

Weiss was confident enough on that horse to close her eyes and let him take her forward, trusting him with her life.

In that moment, Ruby knew they'd really done it.

They'd prove it to Weiss' father than this horse could do so much more than earn his keep here.

It was when the white stallion began moving toward the center of the ring when Ruby's smile faded a bit. She hadn't broken the peaceful silence until now, but when she saw what was about to happen, she couldn't help herself.

"Ah, Weiss-"

It was a cautionary shout, and Weiss opened her eyes, tightening her grip on the reins. She looked straight ahead, seeing where the horse was taking her.

He was on a direct course for the broken hurdle at the center of the corral, and he intended to jump.

A beat of fear passed through Weiss' heart – she'd never intended to jump him, not so soon, anyway.

But with the pace he'd set, with the way he was so strongly pulling her forward with him, she couldn't have stopped him even if she'd wanted to.

Not that she wanted to.

Weiss crouched low, keeping hold of the reins as she gave him a bit more control, turning her heels into his sides. He increased speed just a bit, and as they neared, Weiss felt his muscles tense.

She kept herself firmly in place as she felt him kick off the ground, his front legs curling up to clear his hooves over the jump. His back legs followed shortly afterward, and for a split second, nothing was touching the ground.

Weiss held her breath, and a dozen yards away, Ruby did the same.

It would've been so easy for Weiss to slip off without a saddle, and considering how Zuri had never jumped before, it would have been just as easy for one of his legs to bump the bars of the hurdle.

If he stumbled, he could break one or more of his legs, and Weiss could be crushed.

But with the way these two had been galloping, the jump was conquered with ease and elegance.

Mud and dust were kicked up as the stallion landed neatly, running a few more feet before he began to slow down.

Weiss remembered to breathe again as she loosened her hold on the reins. The adrenaline was still pumping through her, blood pounding in her ears. But that didn't stop her from hearing Ruby's little cheers.

"Weiss! That was amazing! That was, like, the perfect jump!"

Weiss chuckled slightly as she turned Zuri around and headed toward her.

"I doubt it was perfect," she said.

"Oh, don't be so modest. It was great!" Ruby clapped.

Weiss ran a hand through her bangs as an excuse not to comment further, and also to conceal her blush. She stopped Zuri near the fence, just a few feet away from Ebony. Ruby gave an accomplished sigh and met Weiss' gaze.

"Well then, I think that's it! That's way more than enough to impress your dad! Wanna head back inside?"

Part of Weiss wanted to ride a bit longer, but she didn't want to bite off more than she could chew.

"Sure."

Ruby began slipping her boots from the stirrups, and Weiss shifted both of her legs to one side, preparing to jump off.

And then it happened.

A long, low howl echoed down from the nearby mountains.

It was loud, and eerie – haunting.

Ruby froze as a chill shot up her spine.

But what she saw next was even more chilling.

The coyote's howl had startled the stallion beside her. With a fearful whinny, he reared up, kicking out his front legs. In the awkward position she'd been in, Weiss had nothing to hold onto, nothing to keep her from slipping off.

"Ah-!"

With a short cry, Weiss was tossed off his back, landing with a hard thud on the ground, mud and dirt spraying up around her.

The horse took off across the corral in a panic.

An agonized moan rose up from Weiss' still form.

Ruby felt her heart stop as she bore witness to it all; it had happened in only a matter of seconds.

"Weiss!"

Ruby desperately scrambled the rest of the way off her horse, jumping down clumsily and hurrying over to the other girl.

"Weiss! Weiss?!"

Ruby dropped to her knees beside her.

Weiss was lying awkwardly on one side, splattered with mud, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. Her chest heaved, weakly and rapidly, her lips struggling to draw air to her lungs.

Panic flared in Ruby's stomach as she reached for Weiss, touching her shoulder.

"W-Weiss-"

"Ah!"

Weiss screamed at the contact, light as it may have been, her body convulsing as pain shot through her. Her breathing only worsened, and tears squeezed out past her closed eyelids.

Ruby whimpered and recoiled from her instantly.

"I-I'm sorry! Weiss, can you hear me? P-Please- oh god..."

She slid a bit closer, moving her knees beneath Weiss' head and shoulders, elevating her torso just a bit. Her hands reached down to lay lightly on Weiss' trembling chest. Ruby was crying so much she could barely see clearly.

"Weiss... Weiss, what is it? Where does it hurt?"

But her only response was another thin cry.

Weiss couldn't breathe properly, that much was clear, and Ruby was terrified that she might have broken ribs - or even worse, a punctured lung. She dropped her head down to Weiss' chest to listen as best she could. There was a pitiful amount of air rushing in an out, and her heart was hammering madly.

Ruby swallowed back her own sobs and focused on Weiss. She was dangerously short on breath, the inhales she was taking in not sufficient enough to fill her lungs before flying back out. But it didn't sound like there was blood or any gurgling, and Ruby took a small grain of solace in that.

"Weiss..."

She lifted her head and looked down at her. Weiss' pure-white skin and hair were streaked with mud and tears.

Ruby could only think of one thing to do for her right now.

She bent down and kissed her, transferring a long breath of air into her lungs. Weiss sputtered, turning her face away to cough a few times, and then Ruby tried again.

She repeated the process for several painstaking minutes, forcing air into Weiss' body until at last her chest didn't heave so desperately. Ruby kissed her again and again, until she herself was breathless and couldn't go on.

But by then, Weiss had calmed down just a bit, inhaling more deeply than before. Gently, Ruby rested her forehead against Weiss' and breathed with her.

"W-Weiss..." she stammered. "Are you... are you okay...? Where does it hurt? Y-You gotta tell me, please..."

She eased back, moving one hand to Weiss' chest and pressing in with featherlight contact. Her collarbone was intact, as was her breastbone. Ruby next ran her fingers over Weiss' ribs, first up the left side of her body, and then the right. Weiss winced a few times, but it wasn't until Ruby touched her arm when she cried out.

"Ahh-!"

Ruby quickly pulled away, curling herself over Weiss and hugging her loosely.

"I-I'm sorry!" she murmured. "So it's your arm... Sorry..."

It was like some cruel joke, a horrible nightmare.

Everything had been going so well.

It had all been too good to be true.

Weiss heaved another breath and managed to open her eyes. They were ridden with agony, but more than that, Ruby could see fear. Her blue eyes asked silent questions.

/What do we do now? What will happen to him...?/

And Ruby didn't have answers.

"I don't know, Weiss... I don't know..."

More tears fell down onto Weiss' shirt, and Ruby pulled her closer onto her lap.

She didn't know what would happen to Zuri, but she knew she needed to get Weiss help first.

Weiss couldn't speak, and Ruby wanted to bolt to fetch someone. But she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Weiss here alone like this, not with two startled horses still running loose around the corral, and not when she was in such immense pain. But she couldn't lift her either, or else Ruby might hurt her more.

So she could only do one thing.

"HELP!" she screamed. "Someone help!"

She shouted until she couldn't find her voice anymore, and she rested her head on Weiss' chest once again and sobbed.

It was only minutes later when some of the guards arrived, shouting in surprise to find two of the horses out. They rushed to Ruby and Weiss, demanding to know what had happened and why they were out here.

Ruby told them all she could, blubbering and wailing all the while. The first aid squad on the property was notified, and arrived with a stretcher and other supplies within minutes.

Ruby was forced to watch as they took Weiss from her and laid her on the stretcher. The girl was still conscious, writhing in pain and gasping for breath, and they didn't lift her right away. Ruby told them Weiss' arm was broken, but evidently that wasn't all. She listened as one of the medical personnel shouted orders.

"I need an oxygen mask! She's got three fractured ribs and she's severely winded."

Ruby whimpered as she heard the diagnosis, still frozen on her knees in the mud. Someone hurried in with a large bottle of sorts with a tube connected to it. They placed the mask over Weiss' lips and pumped air into her lungs in spurts.

Ruby wiped her tears over and over as she watched the girl's chest rise and fall in slight jolts. A few minutes later, they removed the mask and lifted Weiss up, shouting orders to take her to the first aid ward.

Two other people helped Ruby up, asking if she was injured.

"No..." she whispered. "Just Weiss..."

They helped her walk, taking her back toward the first-aid building as well. The guards grabbed the horses and led them back to the stables.

Ruby limped all the way to the small cabin where they took Weiss and herself into a room. They sat Ruby down on a chair, and she watched as they gave Weiss more oxygen just to be safe.

They cleaned her off, then began wrapping her torso in bandages. They put a cast on her left arm, then changed her into fresh clothes. They connected her good arm to an IV drip, and for a long while, Ruby listened to the beeps that matched Weiss' speeding pulse.

One of the nurses gave Ruby a shirt and pants to change into as well, and the brunette mindlessly slipped into them.

Weiss might've been all right now, but there would be hell to pay, and she knew it.

Once the team had finished tending to Weiss, Ruby moved her chair closer to the little bed. She was surprised to find Weiss was still conscious – just barely. Ruby took her hand and squeezed.

By now, Weiss' pulse had slowed, as the beeping of the machines had indicated, but Ruby could see it in her eyes, too.

Fear.

Ruby crumpled forward onto her bed and sobbed.

"I'm so sorry..."

Weiss squeezed her fingers gently.

"It's not your fault..."

"But still..." Ruby gasped. "We were... so close... a-and now..."

She couldn't finish.

Commotion from the doorway had her jolting upright. Weiss' pulse increased again, and all Ruby could do was squeeze her hand as she looked to the door.

A man with grey hair and eyes stood there, clearly having been woken from sleep to be brought here at this hour. Weiss gasped a single word when she saw him.

"Father..."

He stepped into the room and scanned them both, his expression unreadable. His eyes were cold, his voice a low rumble like thunder.

"What happened here?"

Weiss swallowed hard, struggling to find her voice.

"F-Father... I'll... tell you everything honestly," she rasped.

She started telling about how she'd heard him speak of planning to euthanize Zuri.

She told him how she'd been sneaking out at night to meet Ruby.

She told him the real reasons as to why she'd fallen sick a few weeks ago.

"What?" he growled. Weiss winced, and Ruby clung tighter to her hand. "You've been sneaking out at night to ride horses?"

"Yes..." Weiss murmured. "A-At first it was... only grooming and feeding them... b-but then..." She needed to pause and catch her breath.

"Weiss," Ruby begged. "Let me tell him."

"No..." she refused. "I've... got to do it, Ruby. This was my own fault."

"Only because I said I'd help you!"

"But it was my idea... in the first place." Weiss held her gaze sternly for a moment, until Ruby bowed her head in defeat. Weiss looked back to her father and continued. "I... took Zuri out at night... and I rode him, Father."

At her confession, the man snorted.

"You expect me to believe you rode that horse?"

"Yes... because I did."

"She did!" Ruby blurted. "She rode him, she galloped with him, and she even cleared a jump! How else do you think this could've happened? This damage could only result from being thrown off a horse, so clearly that proves she was riding him!"

Weiss' father was deathly silent as he absorbed all of this information.

A horrible anxiety filled the room as the girls waited for his response.

When he spoke next, it made their blood run cold.

"Even if you did ride him, he tossed you, did he not? Clearly he is a dangerous animal."

"No!" Weiss gasped, and it was so fervent that she shot up from her bed. She cried out as sharp pains traveled through her left side. Ruby quickly reached out to hold her and press her back down. "No, Father!" Weiss insisted. "He only got startled because of a coyote! Any horse would have done the same! I rode him just fine until then-"

"Enough!" he snapped.

Weiss' breath hitched as she fell silent, her fingers trembling in Ruby's. Her father scornfully looked away.

"I've heard enough. I've seen enough. That animal will be euthanized as planned."

Ruby whimpered quietly, hearing as the IV started to beep more rapidly again.

"N-No..." Weiss croaked. "Father, please-"

"I said enough," he grunted.

And with that, he turned away and left the room.

Weiss broke down shortly afterward, her body ripped apart by loud sobs.

Ruby dropped her head to Weiss' side and sobbed with her.

They cried themselves to sleep, overridden by the horrible knowledge that they had failed.

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A/N: And they were so close...