The Beast And The Fairy (ch7)

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Guys please remember this is not my AU! It belongs to dashingicecream. I am merely a humble and inspired fan to write :3 I just made my own interpretations on certain things, a lot of which are explored in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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					Chapter 7. Lessons In Understanding

After coming to their first agreement since their encounter with one another, the fairy and the beast told their animal companions what they planned to do.

"First we'll get this mud off of us," Weiss declared. "I'll never be able to fly with it coating my wings like this. But wetting them in the river will probably mean they won't be dry until tomorrow. Normally, I'd use some of my magic to help speed up the process, but as things are now, I'd rather not use up any more of my magic than I have to."

Ruby and Yang nodded in comprehension.

"Sounds good," Yang grunted. "And then what's the plan?" She tilted her head and looked up at Blake this time. The beast girl flicked her tail from side to side before giving her response.

"After that, since she won't be able to fly... well, we'll just have to continue our journey on foot until nightfall. We can look for some supper, I guess."

"Oh, oh!" Ruby said, bouncing up and down from atop her adoptive sister's head. "I know all the best places to find the sweetest berries and stuff! I can help with that!"

"Good, then," Weiss nodded. "That will be our plan for tonight. But tomorrow, we'll simply have to speed things along as much as possible. The longer I'm away from my kingdom and unaccounted for, the more problems are going to arise."

Blake nodded solemnly, knowing the princess was right. She didn't know exactly what had happened to Weiss or why she was out here alone in the first place. She'd only caught bits and pieces in Weiss' yelling before about beasts ambushing her.

Blake knew she'd need to find out the whole story. The tricky part would be how to go about asking without getting her head bitten off.

The Fairy Princess was awfully loud, and her voice hurt Blake's sensitive ears, especially when she was yelling. She vowed to do her best to keep the white-haired girl pacified, at least until she'd found out more about the situation.

With their plans decided, the odd group mixed of four different species set out back toward the lake.

Yang lumbered along at the front of the group with Ruby on her shoulder.

Blake tried to insist that the fairy go next in line. Despite the differences of their species, Blake had no intentions of harming her, and she herself would rather bring up the rear and keep this arguably important girl in her sights. She voiced her intentions and spoke honestly.

"I'll keep a look out for danger. I don't want you getting injured."

But Weiss narrowed her eyes at the girl and refused.

"I don't trust my back to a beast. I'll walk behind."

She pointedly made a sharp turn and stomped to the rear of the group.

With a grunt of frustration, Blake shrugged and took the center spot instead. This fairy changed her mood like a chameleon changed its colors.

Fine. If you want don't want my help, don't take it.

She was conflicted rather perfectly. Part of her felt she shouldn't care less about this princess or what became of her. If Weiss ended up getting herself hurt or killed, Blake didn't think it should bother her or be a part of her responsibilities.

But the other part of her felt nervous and guilty. This was the Princess of the Fairies, after all, and even though their clans had been on the verge of violent war for many seasons now, Blake just couldn't bear the thoughts of seeing something bad happen to her.

Plus, Weiss might've had a prickly personality, but Blake had seen the softer side for herself as well, if only briefly.

For now, she opted to keep her dilemma to herself and walk in front of the fairy. She could still feel a slight tingle on her hand where she'd taken the other girl's hand before, to stop her from going off alone.

At the time, the princess had held Blake's hand back. That was what led Blake to believe that they'd come to an agreement or truce of sorts, and that the fairy behind her wouldn't run off on her own now.

Blake could only hope that would be the case. They needed to stick together.

The two girls maintained a slow pace as they followed Yang and Ruby back to the river. Weiss kept herself on high alert all the while – even though the sun was still up at this point of the day, she didn't trust this unfamiliar territory one bit.

Blake did the same, keeping her ears perked and her steps light, trying not to make any unnecessary noise.

However, for all of the girls' careful caution, their two guides didn't seem to be bothered at all.

"Wowzers!" Yang was saying aloud. "I still can't believe we found a fairy and a beast together! That's totally bonkers!"

"Maybe they're eloping!" Ruby said, clearly much louder than she'd intended to.

Blake and Weiss both heard the comment and were quick to correct her.

"Elope?" Blake scoffed.

"Hardly!" Weiss snapped. "As if I'd ever be on friendly terms with a beast like this! Especially after a hoard of her friends just attacked me yesterday!"

Blake froze in her tracks and turned around slowly to face the girl, dismay and worry prominent in her golden gaze now.

"Right... I think you mentioned that before. Mind telling me more about it...?"

Weiss paused as well, glaring up at her.

"You heard me. Before you jumped on me and we fell into the mud together, what did you think I was doing out in the middle of nowhere all on my own? Going for a stroll? Please. I'd been trying to gather water with my fellows at the river when a group of your kind ambushed us!" she spat.

"They were all wearing these awful masks that hid their eyes, but their intentions were clear as water. They demanded all of our precious gems and threatened us, just like they always do. The only reason any of my people got away unharmed was because I promised to take the beasts to a hidden stash of jewels. Of course, once they realized I was fibbing, they charged me, and that boy with the horns tore my hair and drove me over a cliff!"

Her voice rose up into a distressed wail at the memories of it all, and she shook herself off as if to dislodge the feeling of the boy's hand on her back.

"And then I nearly drowned and had to spend the night alone up in a tree like some possum! And what do I find the next day? You jumping at me and dragging me down into the mud!" She turned her icy glare back to the little red squirrel, whose tail was fluffed up in alarm by now. "So for your information, we are not eloping! We're not even friends! I want nothing to do with these beasts! I'm merely trying to get home and she just so happens to be going the same way!"

By the time her flustered discourse was over, all three of her listeners had been shocked into silence by her story. Yang looked up and Ruby and Ruby peered down at her, and they both came to a silent agreement never to touch upon this subject again.

But Blake's reaction was more appalled than anything. She had half a mind to retort and ask about what had happened to all of Weiss' kind words about there being "a first time for everything", and her previous promise to trust Blake.

But it was clear by how Weiss refused to walk in front of her that she couldn't trust a beast even if she tried.

Blake bit her lip and growled, but it wasn't Weiss' fickleness she was upset with now. She was hanging on the other things Weiss had said.

"Hold on..." she mumbled. "You said... a boy with horns attacked you?"

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"That is what I said. He was up to no good from the very start. He was planning to take me hostage."

Blake's ears flattened against her head.

"Adam..." she mumbled.

Weiss instantly took a step back.

"You... You know that scoundrel?"

"H-Hold on!" Blake frantically reached for the girl, but didn't make contact for fear she'd jerk away. She merely held out her hand, silently pleading with Weiss not to flee.

It was evident Weiss was considering just that, but she remained only to hear Blake's explanation of things. The beast girl put her palm to her face and sighed.

"I know him, yes. He's... always been causing problems with the fairies. His whole group always has been. But I never thought he'd go this far and sink this low..."

"Well he has," Weiss snapped. "And if you associate yourself with him, then I-"

"No, I..." Blake cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice level. "I know him, but... we aren't exactly friends anymore. He's been doing a lot of bad things in recent seasons that I don't agree with. I guess I'm not too surprised that he was the one who ambushed your group..." Her voice trailed off and she looked to the ground. "If it means anything to you, then I'm sorry."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, admittedly astonished at the beast girl's apology on her brethren's behalf. The fairy cleared her throat again and lowered her voice a bit.

"Enough of this. We can discuss things more later in detail. But for now, I think this mud is beginning to seep into my skin permanently."

Her comment seemed to lift the mood just a little bit, and Blake looked up at her with a small, hopeful smile.

From then on, their entourage continued in silence, and the friction in the air was much less palpable than it had been previously.

Before very much longer, they arrived at the riverside. But before Blake or Weiss could reach the edge, Yang stopped them.

"Hold on! Paws there for a second," she said. "The water's a bit rough here. There's a pool further down where it's still. That'll be nicer to dunk your wings in."

They followed her and Ruby for a few more minutes, until at last they came to a part where the water was shallow and calm. The bank dipped down into a level pool that was much more inviting than the rapids Weiss had recently fallen into.

Blake was already dipping her bare toes into the water and wading in up to her ankles.

"Thanks, you two," she said, dipping her head to Ruby and Yang. "Just give us a few minutes."

"Sure thing!" Ruby squeaked. "I think I want a bath too, Yang!"

"You got it, sis!"

With a bound of excitement, Yang plunged them both into the water with a large splash, spraying Blake with cool wetness. She chuckled a bit and wiped the back of her hand over her face, watching amusedly as the two sisters started swimming and playing together.

When she'd been younger, Blake hadn't liked getting wet. But as she'd matured, she realized she didn't mind the water all that much anymore.

But as Blake began rubbing the mud off of her arms and stomach, she realized there was still one member of their group yet to come into the water.

Weiss stood with her arms crossed and her feet close together, her eyes wary as she looked down at the water. Blake made her way over to the edge of the pool and spoke up.

"Aren't you going to wash the mud off? It was your idea, wasn't it?" she asked. "The water's safe. You can come in."

Weiss still appeared a bit skeptical, and she didn't move a muscle.

"Is it... deep?" she wondered. "There are no currents, are there?"

At her words, Blake recalled what Weiss had revealed earlier, how Adam had run her off a cliff and she'd nearly drowned afterward.

The beast softened her expression a bit and shook her head.

"It's calm here. Promise."

She didn't know what good a promise from a beast was to a fairy, but Weiss seemed to relax just a little bit. Blake moved back so Weiss could step in beside her.

"You can stay next to me if it makes you feel better," she offered.

"I'll be just fine on my own," Weiss mumbled.

She hesitated for another moment, taking a deep breath as she finally headed for the pool. The cold water washed over her feet as she stepped in, drenching her dress for the second time in the past two days. It was a refreshing sensation though, after trekking through the woods and being covered in sun-baked mud for the past hour or so.

Slowly, Weiss sunk down to her shoulders and submerged her wings, feeling the grime and mud washing away. With a sigh, she cupped some water in her hands and brought it up to her face, holding her breath for a moment as she washed her skin clean.

Blake kept an eye on her for a moment before dunking her own head underwater. When she resurfaced, she shook herself off, spraying droplets everywhere as her mass of tangled wet hair got plastered around her neck and shoulders.

Weiss yelped as some of the water was splashed onto her face.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Oh, sorry."

"You'll be sorry alright."

With a flick of her wrist, Weiss splashed a bit of water toward Blake. The beast hissed, though it was more playful than angry.

In retaliation, she pushed a small wave towards Weiss.

It was strange how quickly the malice between them faded, as if the water had simply washed it away. Whatever animosity had been integrated between their two species had been taught to them, but wasn't at all natural.

Now that they were stuck together alone in the woods with no one else to judge their behavior or tell them it was wrong, they were able to smile and laugh.

It happened so quickly and so smoothly that neither noticed until it was already far too late.

But when they both realized they were almost enjoying themselves with someone who was supposed to be an enemy, it seemed to happen at the same time.

They both froze in the water, dripping wet as the smiles faded from their lips. Their eyes met in dismay, and there was an unspoken agreement between them never to mention this, to forget everything that had just happened between them.

Each girl had similar thoughts running through her head:

What am I doing...?

Weiss was the first to recoil, hugging herself swiftly as she stepped back toward dry land.

"I think I've washed enough," she said.

Blake watched her move away, blinking quickly before she could begin to register the sting behind her eyes.

"Me, too. Let's dry off."

She followed Weiss out of the water, but kept her distance from the fairy now.

Ruby and Yang crawled out afterward, their ears drooping and laughter fading.

"What happened?" Ruby whispered. "They were just having so much fun together. Like us."

"I don't know," Yang uttered. "I think there's a lot going on here, sis. Stuff we can't understand."

Sadly, the two watched from afar as Weiss and Blake went back to their stoic selves, as though shaking off remnants of a dream they didn't want to remember.

"Now then," Weiss said as she wrung out her dress. "Our next order of business is food." She turned to look at Ruby. "Where were those berries you were speaking of?"

The red squirrel perked up.

"Right! There's a grove of bushes not far from here full of 'em! Follow us!"

This time, Ruby took the lead on her own, and Yang fell into step behind her. Blake coyly nodded for Weiss to take the middle, but again, the fairy didn't budge until Blake had gone first.

They walked a little ways, feeling the warm breeze drying them off now with the mud gone at last.

Weiss' clothes and skin were fine before long, but her wings were made of a much more delicate material, and she knew they'd be of no use at least until tomorrow.

She reserved her magics, not using them at all to help herself dry faster. As she was now, she knew she only had a limited amount to utilize. She had no gems on her person to carry any magic, and what she did have stored in her necklace, hair band, and clothes would only be of use if she specifically used them; she intended to preserve her magics for when she needed to start flying.

But even those magics were weaker than usual now. Far from home and constantly nervous and frightened of her surroundings, her magics were of little use to her if her heart wasn't strong enough to use them.

I'll be fine in the morning, she told herself.

As she followed along at the back of the group, Weiss cast her gaze about for any potential danger approaching them. But not even Blake seemed to be tense about anything, therefore the fairy tried her best to relax a bit.

When at last Ruby brought them to a halt, Weiss could already smell something pleasant on the air.

"Here we are! All the berries you can eat!" Ruby declared, scampering off to the nearest bush. "And thanks to the magics of the fairies that blow around on the breezes through the forest, these bushes never stop growing berries! Even in the winter they're always full of food! Whatever you pick and eat today will be back and just as juicy tomorrow!"

With that, she dove in and started stuffing her cheeks with little red fruits. Yang grunted eagerly and plopped down on her haunches, using her paws to bring branches to her mouth to start snacking.

As Blake and Weiss neared the bushes, the beast cast Weiss a curious glance.

"I didn't know that," she said, squatting down in front of a bush.

"Know what?"

"What Ruby said. That the fairies' magics run through the forest and keep these berries growing all year round."

Weiss knelt down and began plucking berries into her palm.

"Well, I'm not surprised you didn't know," she huffed. "What would you beasts know about berries? You eat living creatures for food." She wrinkled her nose distastefully at the thought, and calmed her stomach by popping a sweet berry between her lips.

Blake's ears flattened, and she too wrinkled her wet, black nose.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she said.

"Isn't it?" Weiss snapped at her. "How could you eat animals? Living, breathing creatures that share the forest with us? I can't fathom it. It's just wrong."

But rather than react angrily, Blake kept her voice level.

"You... you don't know, do you?"

Weiss sniffed and kept her eyes on the berries.

"Know what?"

It was Blake's turn to impart some knowledge. She picked a few berries from the bush Weiss was at and swallowed them all in one gulp.

"Beasts eat berries, too," Blake began. "We're omnivores, not carnivores. But when we do eat meat, it's not just because we feel like killing something."

Weiss stiffened, flashing her gaze sideways this time to meet Blake's.

"It's... not?" she wondered. "I was under the impression you killed for sport like humans."

"Not at all," Blake growled, her lip curling in disgust. "Humans kill whatever and whenever they want. But we don't. We only hunt and kill diseased animals. Ones that are infected or suffering. Our bodies are immune to the diseases and illnesses.

"We put them out of their misery and spare other animals from getting ill. When we kill and eat them, it eliminates the sickness. That's why we hunt."

Weiss was speechless for a long moment. She chewed on a berry as an excuse not to talk, absorbing the information Blake had just shared with her. By the time she swallowed, she felt like she had a million things she needed to say or ask.

"I... never knew that," she confessed. "All this time I thought you just killed them because you wanted to."

"Never," Blake said softly. "And I... never knew that your magics kept the forests so plentiful, either. Without that, some of my kin would've died of starvation over the harsh winter. I'd always thought that fairy presence in these woods wasn't essential. But now I see it isn't an option. The entire ecosystem would perish without you."

"It's the same with you," Weiss informed her. "The animals would spread the diseases if it weren't for the beasts. Before long, the illnesses would've spread to us, too. Our magics can't heal everything. Sickness is one of the few things that can kill fairies if it's bad enough.

"I'll bet the beasts' actions saved my sister's life when she fell ill last autumn. The healer said if she came into contact with any more disease, she would've died... But the forests were immaculate of sickness in those months... thanks to you."

Her piercing blue eyes met Blake's directly.

The beast girl flicked her tail and nodded slowly.

"And it was probably your magics that prevented a forest fire my cousins started by accident last summer. The trees never caught fire and the flames extinguished themselves. We never understood why, but now it makes sense... Your magics kept the plants safe.

"To be honest, when I was out alone today before I found you, I was searching for enchanted gems myself. I wanted to prove to my clan that we didn't need to steal from fairies. I want the ambushes to stop just as much as you do."

For a moment, they were both silent, the uneaten berries still in their palms. In just a few minutes conversing with one another, willing to listen and accept the other's words, they'd learned more than they ever had in over four seasons' worth of time.

Their species were at war due to such trivial differences and misunderstandings. And both now realized all of it could've been avoided if they'd simply communicated properly. So much violence and bloodshed could have been avoided...

And it still could be.

When their eyes met again, each girl knew the other was thinking similarly to her own thoughts.

"We've got to get back," Weiss murmured. "My father will think your kind has kidnapped me, and then a war will be inevitable."

"Adam will lie and say he has you captive. He'll try to bargain and trade you for all the fairies' magic gems," Blake added. "And once he has those, he'll reveal that he doesn't even have you as a hostage. There will be fighting in seconds."

Weiss felt her stomach twist, and she promptly stood.

"We need to keep going."

Blake stood beside her and gently grasped her wrist.

"We will. But tomorrow," she said softly. "I know Adam won't act right away. He'll wait a few days at least. For now, it's nearly dusk. And we need to rest and regain our strength and stamina. Your wings need to recuperate. Plus, there's no point in traveling at night."

Blake waited a moment, until Weiss turned to look back at her. The fairy's ice-blue eyes were distraught and uncertain, but willing to listen. Blake continued:

"Please. We'll travel all day tomorrow. We'll have plenty of time. But tonight, we need rest."

Weiss released a shuddering breath, then turned her face. She looked skyward where the sky was turning purple with night, up into the trees and toward the direction she believed home to be. She inhaled sharply, then lifted an arm to wipe her eyes.

"We must wake at dawn," she said. "We've got to travel as much as possible."

"We will," Blake promised.

Another moment of silence passed. Blake didn't let go of her wrist, and Weiss didn't resist her grasp.

Silently, they continued their meal of berries until Ruby and Yang declared it was time to start looking for a safe place to sleep.

After a while of searching, they discovered four trees with the trunks growing together as one. Yang and Ruby climbed up easily to curl up in one of the massive forks formed by the bark.

Blake made quick work of maneuvering her lithe, nimble body up as well, using her tail for balance. She reached down to help Weiss stumble up. The fairy was shaking and clinging to the trunks of the trees until Blake successfully hauled her up to a sturdy spot.

Without a word, Blake left Weiss on a portion of the trees where she could curl up by herself, and the beast girl climbed up to a different section.

As darkness crept in through the canopy of leaves, Weiss leaned her back against the trunk of the tree and lifted her gaze once more. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling damp and worried, knowing she wouldn't sleep well tonight.

But three simple words whispered down from above made her shoulders relax a bit more.

"It'll be okay."

With Blake's promise in her ears, Weiss did her best to allow sleep to come.

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A/N: Just to clarify, I'm writing several different ways for fairies to us magic. They have some in their bodies naturally and can store it in items as well, such as clothing, jewelry, and gems/stones. Drawing upon these magics allows them to fly and use spells like making barriers.

Their magics float throughout the forest from where their kingdom is. That's why the berries and other foods grow year-round. But that's just a sprinkle of magic, and it's not enough to let Weiss fly so far from the source. The ability to fly is also directly linked to a fairy's mental and physical wellbeing. As mentioned in this chapter, even if she gets her strength and magic back, Weiss won't be able to fly if she's full of fear and dread.