Pawprints (ch10)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

Get ready, because it's pretty much all drama from here on out.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 10. The Intangible Danger

The weeks after the encounter with Adam and Blake's former pack were peaceful and plentiful for Blake and Weiss.

Each day they would rise and go about their daily tasks; hunting, cleaning clothes, fetching water - whatever they needed to do to survive. Small signs of love were peppered throughout the activities; kisses between work, hugs, and gentle nudges.

At night, they would skin and cook whatever Blake had caught. Weiss had taught Blake a lot about how to prepare the many kinds of animals she brought home.

They would then relax the rest of the night before they slept. On warmer nights, Blake would remain in her natural human form and snuggle up to her lover. On the chillier nights, Blake would transform and curl around Weiss to keep her warm.

But now the nights were growing colder and darker, and they both knew they would have to find a new place to live; the cave didn't provide enough shelter for Weiss to survive the cold.

Presently, Blake woke up in panther form curled around Weiss; it had been another cold night. With a yawn and a stretch, she became a little more awake and alert. Raising her head from Weiss' lap, she licked the girl's face to wake her up.

. . .

To live with Blake in peace like this was a dream come true. Things were quiet in the following days; there were no more attacks from wild animals or other Panthers, no more injuries or pain. Only love.

But of course, it wasn't all fun and games; chores took up a few hours of every day, sharpening knifes and collecting water, hunting meals and gathering wood. On occasion, Weiss would hunt instead, insisting Blake rest, and the huntress would use her rifle, holding true to her kills with her infallible marksmanship.

They were sure to gather tons of dry twigs and sticks in the autumn and pile them in mounds at the back of the cave to feed the fires. If they ever ran out, Weiss had every intention to use her knives to cut bark and branches off the trees herself.

It had been cold last night, and even curled in the blanket and with Blake tightly wound around her, Weiss' lack of movement during the night had left her cold. She took comfort in Blake's warmth, her purring, breathing, and heartbeat that reminded Weiss they were both alive, encouraging her to get up.

When she looked outside, she understood why it was so cold.

The sharp tang of snow was on her tongue, and when she looked to the cave entrance, she saw a light, fluffy blanket of white covering the ground, a bit of a flurry still drifting down. Weiss felt a bit of excitement bubble up in her stomach as the word passed her lips:

"Snow…"

She felt like a child.

She felt so foolish.

She wanted-

She wanted to go out and play.

. . .

Blake slowly stood up, working out the kinks in her body from the cold weather. She transformed and quickly dressed, the cold weather nipping at her bare skin.

Once she was dressed, she looked over to Weiss; the white-haired girl was standing at the mouth of the cave looking out. Walking over to her partner, Blake hugged her from behind, nuzzling into the girl's long white hair.

"Good morning, Weiss," she murmured, kissing Weiss' cheek. Looking out, she saw the flurry outside their cave. "What are you thinking about?" she purred, though she felt like she already knew.

. . .

Weiss hummed as she felt Blake's arms around her, looking out into the forest that was coated with frost. It was the first snowfall of the year.

Weiss loved the snow. She missed it…

"Let's go outside."

Taking Blake's hands in hers, she pulled the Panther girl out into the fresh air. It was crisp and sharp and smelled of ice and Weiss loved it. She loved the way it filled her lungs and woke her up fully.

Walking to a nearby boulder, Weiss cupped her bare hands over the top layer of fresh snow and brought it to her lips, drinking it in, letting the cool flavor run down her throat. The stream would freeze over soon, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about water for a while if it snowed.

Weiss turned back to Blake, admiring the crystalline flakes that had caught in her hair and ears and on her eyelashes, making her appear even more gorgeous. She went to the girl and placed a cool kiss on her cheek. She took her hand softly.

"Let's walk for a bit."

. . .

Weiss took Blake's hand and lead her outside.

The air was chilled as the snow continued to fall around them. Blake watched as Weiss drank the fresh frost; the white-haired girl looked perfectly natural in the snowy environment.

Blake could feel the snow catching in her hair and fur, the white contrasting with it. Weiss came over and kissed her cheek before taking hold of her hands again and leading them on a walk.

It was peaceful, the snow flurried around them as they walked through the frozen forest. The world was sparkling. The snow blended perfectly with Weiss' hair, but the cool weather brought a bright flush to her cheeks that Blake found adorable.

"You look beautiful," she murmured without thinking, wrapping her arm and tail around her companion.

. . .

The compliment was unexpected, but Weiss really shouldn't have been surprised, considering she'd been thinking the very same about Blake. The blush on her cheeks went darker as an arm wrapped around her, and Weiss returned the half-hug as best she could from her position.

"I could say the same to you."

The snow continued to fall as they walked on, the forest silent as it witnessed this rare magic. Only a few birds or squirrels flitted about in the branches, an occasional rabbit or pheasant on the ground. Weiss knew they would need to catch something, but that could wait until their journey home.

She led them down to the stream that had partially iced over, shimmering in the bright light of the snowy world, the water blue as it reflected the sky. Weiss lost herself in that scene for a moment, breath puffing white as she shivered a bit, hugging her bare hands to her sides.

"It's gorgeous," she murmured, as though scared to disturb or otherwise ruin the tranquility of it all. "But not as gorgeous as you." She strained up to kiss Blake's cheek again, nuzzling into her neck a bit.

. . .

The stream was starting to ice over; already half of if was frozen, the water shimmered as it reflected the light. From what Blake could tell, the ice was still thin enough that some strong, calculated strikes could break it to get at the water underneath if absolutely necessary.

Blake was more entranced by the sight of Weiss - the girl next to her had a look of absolute wonder as she marveled at the scene in front of them.

Blake blushed at Weiss' comment, the shorter girl standing up as high as she could to kiss Blake's cheek before nuzzling her neck. Wrapping her arms around Weiss, Blake lifted the girl off of her feet, bringing them to eye level.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Blake asked rhetorically as she kissed Weiss' nose.

. . .

"Eep!" Weiss squealed in delight as Blake hoisted her up and pecked her nose. The Huntress giggled against her, nuzzling into the Panther girl's cheek. "You have," she recounted. "But I'm not opposed to a reminder."

She hugged Blake's shoulders and rested her chin atop her head, between her ears, kissing them softly. Blake held her there for a moment as the snow continued to fall around them, and Weiss watched it drift down and into the moving water of the stream. She sneezed once, then sighed, watching her breath rise up, savoring the stillness and silence of the forest.

Then, a shudder ran through her that she couldn't suppress - a surprisingly strong one that startled her a bit - and Weiss made a chilled sound as Blake put her down.

"Maybe we should head back now. We can see if we can find something to eat along the way."

. . .

Blake was enjoying Weiss' warmth, closeness, and scent in contrast to the frigid air.

Back in her pack days, she'd never really gotten to enjoy the snow very much. There was a whole pack to feed and prey would get scarce, and it wasn't like they could just waltz into the next town as humans and buy food.

It was nice to be able to enjoy the snow instead of worry about it.

But then a shudder ran through Weiss' body, a strong one that Blake could feel as she held her. Blake carefully let her down and looked at her with concern.

"Are you all right?"

. . .

"I'm fine," Weiss reassured her as they began to walk. "Just cold." She kept close to Blake, clinging to her arm as they headed back through the forest, the snow crunching beneath their feet. Weiss shook herself to dislodge some of the frost that had caught in her hair and over her shoulders.

As they journeyed back toward the cave, Weiss didn't catch sight of any animals they could hunt anymore. The only squirrel she saw was startled by her own sneeze as she buried her face in her elbow.

"Sorry…" she sniffed. "But it's fine if we don't find anything today. We still have some meat left from last night."

She was starting to lose the feeling in her hands now, even the one holding Blake's much warmer palm. Subconsciously, she tried to quicken her pace a bit, eager to get back to shelter and the fire. She continued to sneeze and sniffle all the way back, wiping her eyes and grunting at the dryness in her throat.

Once they'd finally arrived back at the cave, Weiss went to the canteen to drink, wincing at the irritation that was starting to climb up her throat. Trying to conserve the water, she put it aside and caught her breath. She hoped whatever this was would simply disappear after a warm nap by the fire.

. . .

All the while as Weiss drank, Blake looked on worriedly. She hoped they weren't symptoms of illness, but merely residual coughs from being in such pure cold.

She threw more fuel on the fire to bring the heat up for Weiss' comfort. Adjusting their bed to be closer to the fire, Blake looked over to Weiss.

"Come here by the fire. Do you want me to transform to help keep you warm?" she asked, walking over to hug Weiss and help her over to the bed.

. . .

Blake led her to their bed by the fire, the warmth more than welcome after the biting frigidness of the snow outside. The thin layer of clothing Weiss wore didn't serve to do much for her, and her socks were getting tattered by this point, boots loosening from overuse.

To answer Blake's question, she shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I'd rather hold you for a while." She clutched the blanket up over her shoulders, draping one end over Blake and pressing her exposed side into the girl's shoulder, slipping under her arm and fitting perfectly against her.

But Weiss couldn't stop shivering despite the heat surrounding her, burrowing her face into Blake's shoulder to stifle a cough. She wrapped her arms around the Panther girl's sides, keeping as close to her as possible. But Weiss' breath was shallow and it was hard to swallow properly, her throat seemingly on fire even more so than the pile of sticks before them.

"Actually... maybe… you should transform after all. I don't know why I'm s-so cold right now. It shouldn't…. be this bad." She turned her face away and sneezed again.

. . .

Weiss pressed close to Blake's side, the blanket up to her shoulders as they rested near the fire. Even with the warmth enveloping her, Weiss was still shivering uncontrollably; Blake could feel her shallow breathing.

When Weiss spoke, her voice was quiet and weak. Blake stood up wordlessly and took of her clothes, handing them to Weiss.

"Here, put these on as well."

She put her hands to the ground and transformed. Blake curled up around Weiss as tightly as she could. She draped her tail over Weiss as she laid her head on the girl's lap in an effort to warm the Huntress up as much as possible. Still, Weiss continued to shiver and sneeze, and all the while a growing sense of worry and concern filled Blake.

. . .

Weiss sniffled as Blake handed her her clothes, slipping them on with trembling hands. It was alarming how quickly the cold had overtaken her so completely, and the lack of medicine to fight it only encouraged it.

The day was still early, only about noontime, but when Blake transformed and curled around her, Weiss just wanted to sleep. She hugged Blake's neck and squeezed in an effort to find support, huffing for breath as she was shaken from her core, tremors rippling from the inside out. The coughs and sneezes interchanged as the minutes ticked on, and Weiss just wished she would fall asleep and not be burdened with it all.

After nearly half an hour of uncomfortable fidgeting and a harsh pain scratching in her throat, Weiss started to feel the throbs of her pulse pounding in her body. Everything felt wrong. She was shivering, and yet sweat gathered on her forehead, her breath dry and withered, stomach growling now.

But it wasn't long afterward when her body exhausted itself entirely, and she passed out on Blake's shoulders just as a warm tear slipped down her cheek.

. . .

Blake could feel the shaking, uneasy breaths Weiss took, the girl's shivers violent and not eased much by the added warmth. Unable to comfort her partner with words while in her Panther form, Blake could only purr to try and help the girl to sleep.

Eventually, Weiss passed out, arms still squeezed around Blake's neck; thankfully in her sleep the shivers that racked her body eased slightly.

Lifting her head a bit, Blake looked Weiss over; the girl's white hair was matted to her face from the cold sweat that covered her skin. The worry Blake felt only grew.

Settling her head on Weiss' lap again, Blake tried to think of what she could do.

When she wakes up, I'll have her eat and then I'll try and find some more food and any plants with medicinal properties. Hopefully, I can find any of the plants Weiss showed me weeks ago.

. . .

When she slept, Weiss completely blacked out, and didn't wake again until twilight. In the nighttime hours, the air was even colder, and Weiss let out a soft sob when she finally woke - she considered herself thankful she'd woken at all, judging by the state of her body.

She felt hollow, head light and fuzzy while her chest was stuffy as though a great weight had been placed there to crush her ribcage, preventing her from breathing the way she wanted to. Her skin was on fire and yet damp, and when she opened her eyes, splotches of black dotted her vision. When she tried to speak, all that came out was a string of loud coughs that she failed to swallow.

Once that had finally ended, Weiss quickly shed her top layer of clothing and wiped her forehead.

"B-Blake, it's so hot. B-But I'm shaking. I don't know what to-" she coughed again, hugging herself, breathing heavily through her mouth. When she noticed it was dark outside, she whimpered, fearful of the oncoming cold that was sure to follow

. . .

Blake kept a watchful eye on her sick companion, every tremor through her sleeping body only serving to make Blake worry more.

When Weiss woke up, Blake could immediately see that the girl was in pain and discomfort, her face filmed with sweat as she coughed loudly. When Weiss finally spoke, her voice was thin and trembling, the words barely above a whisper as she breathed in heavy gasps.

Blake transformed out of her Panther form when Weiss complained of being too hot, insisting though that the girl keep the blanket and extra clothes, lest she get too cold. Grabbing the shirt Weiss had taken off, Blake ripped a piece of it off, soaking it with their water before using the cool fabric to wipe the sweat from Weiss' face.

"Shh, it'll be all right, Weiss. I'm here for you." Blake stroked Weiss' face with the cloth, leaning down to kiss the girl's forehead.

. . .

Blake's warmth briefly vanished, only to be replaced by her sturdy arms wrapping around Weiss. The Huntress clung to her companion, seeking and accepting every ounce of comfort Blake provided for her. The cool water lapping at her feverish skin served to lessen some of the stifling heat, but only for a moment.

I know… She thought, too tired to find her voice, fearing she'd only cough more. I know you're here for me, Blake. Thank you.

She closed her eyes slowly, head rolling back as Blake supported her. Weiss could feel her heart thumping roughly, pounding in her ears. Her furrowed eyebrows creased even more as she swallowed, feeling the unpleasant, thick pain in her throat.

She was starving, but wasn't confident she could eat. Still, she thought it would be better to try.

"Do we h-have any leftovers…?" she rasped, blinking her eyes open again, though they didn't focus very well.

She felt so helpless. She just wanted to go back to sleep…

. . .

Blake held Weiss, the girl's back resting against her chest as they sat in the cooling cave. Weiss was still shivering, but the moist cloth seemed to help ease her discomfort slightly.

Weiss rested her head against Blake, still groaning and coughing in discomfort. At the request for food, Blake reached over and grabbed the leftover deer meat from the previous night. Taking the smallest piece, Blake held it to Weiss' lips, not wanting to rush her in case she couldn't muster the energy.

"Eat at whatever speed you want," Blake whispered as Weiss weakly opened her mouth and ate the meat. She chewed slowly, and while she did Blake grabbed another piece and held it, waiting.

. . .

It was a good thing Blake was holding her up, because Weiss knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to manage the feat herself. The coughs jolted through her, never giving her a moment of peace.

When Blake leaned down to offer a bit of meat, Weiss slowly bit into it, chewing much more than was necessary, feeling almost too exhausted to swallow. She forced herself to though, and even managed to scarf down a few more pieces.

But on the fourth, her throat suddenly closed and Weiss' breath hitched. She hunched forward, hacking as she tried to dislodge the food. Everything burned inside and out, and she was terrified. It was almost a full minute she was stuck coughing.

Only when Blake helped with a firm hit between her shoulder blades did the meat finally come up, leaving Weiss gasping desperately. She couldn't do anything more than turn around shakily and hug Blake with every bit of life left in her, crying freely.

. . .

"Weiss-?"

Blake gasped when Weiss started coughing and trembling as she tried to dislodge the food from her airways, failing to do so. Blake patted her back for her firmly, but it wasn't working.

So with a firm strike to Weiss' back, the meat dislodged itself from her throat and landed on the stone floor.

Blake held Weiss closely when the girl turned to her and hugged her as tight as she could. The Panther girl could only listen as Weiss cried, every sob hurting her heart with a sharp pain. All Blake could do was hold Weiss tight and murmur quiet reassurances.

"It's okay. I've got you..."

. . .

Weiss wanted to believe in Blake's soft whispers of how everything was going to be all right, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She felt too weak, almost like her body wasn't even her own. She was hot and sweating, cold and shaking, and the tears wouldn't stop flowing.

Why… Why is this happening? Why so suddenly, and why does it hurt so badly…? She silently asked questions that went unanswered.

Eventually, Weiss cried herself to sleep in Blake's arms, willingly letting go of her conscience to pray - pray - all of this would be over when she woke tomorrow, begging she'd be able to do at least that.

She hoped she could. She didn't want to die, not like this, not when her life with Blake had only just begun.

She relinquished all hold on the waking world and fell into darkness.

. . .

Blake held Weiss as close as she could without overheating her ailing companion. The girl's pitiful condition hurt Blake to look at, even more so because Blake felt so powerless to help.

For all her strength, her agility, and her her intelligence, there was nothing she could do to help the girl she loved against an intangible danger, and it cut Blake to her core.

She knew that she needed to leave and find something to help Weiss, medicinal plants or anything.

But at the same time, Blake was afraid to leave her alone, lest the unthinkable happen.

No! I can' think that way. Weiss will live. I'll make sure of it.

Gently stroking Weiss' hair, Blake helped lull the girl to a fitful sleep, a plan for the next morning already forming in her mind as she continued to hold Weiss.

. . .

. . .

Finally.

It had been weeks since Yang had last been dispatched on a hunting mission, and months since she'd lost Weiss. And she was going back to work now with a promise to herself and to Ruby in her heart; she was going to avenge her friend no matter what.

Ozpin had led the band back into the same forest where they had lost so many people in previous months. It was winter now and snow coated the ground, but thankfully the tents they set up were warm and cozy. They were only going to be here for a few days this time; it was much easier to track Panthers when they had prints to follow, and their darker pelts were much easier to see against the snow.

Yang loaded her rifle that night, imagining aiming it right at the pitch-black Panther that had taken Weiss - killed her. She imagined pulling the trigger and watching the light leave its vicious eyes.

She couldn't wait.

She put her weapon aside for the night as she extinguished the lantern of her tent and laid herself down.

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A/N: I know I keep teasing Yang coming in, but she really is coming in soon. I swear.