The Beast And The Fairy (ch2)

This chapter introduces a few of the characters and has a bit more world-building to it. Again, sorry for boring-ness ;u;

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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						  Chapter 2. Journey To The River

Golden rays of warm sunlight filtered in through the leaves of the trees, painting the green colors a brighter, livelier yellow shade like summer itself.

Weiss was roused by a beam coming in through the small window of her room, carved high up in the branches of an ancient oak tree. It was the oldest and largest tree in the forest, and naturally the fairy king and his two daughters lived there.

In her younger years, Weiss had always felt safe up in her room, resting on soft, downy bird feathers and moss, curled beneath a blanket quilted from fuzzy vines and flower petals.

But now, she couldn't even wake without feeling apprehensive.

The beasts had been getting bolder with their recent attacks and ambushes, so much so that the Fairy King had forbidden his daughters from going down into the forest to the river. Other fairies had been bringing them their water in buckets and small jugs constructed of stone or moss soaked in the river.

But Weiss didn't feel it was right for the others to risk their lives when collecting water while she stayed safe and sound up in her room.

She'd discussed such matters with her father last night, and her determined voice and persuasive suggestions had eventually won him over.

"Fine," he'd said. "After lunch tomorrow, you may accompany a group down to the river. But you must be armed, and take two trained guards with you."

Presently, Weiss stretched her arms above her head and unfolded her wings, letting them uncurl to their full length, about as far as her arms reached to either side. She was eager to begin the day that promised a bit of excitement, a break from the normal life she'd been forced to live daily in recent months.

A long winter had just passed them by, and the fairies had been relieved to discover that the beasts weren't as active in the colder months. They'd caused less trouble, initiated fewer ambushes, and stolen fewer things from the fairies.

Weiss and her people had even gotten a few opportunities to skate barefoot on the ice over the lake, their magics allowing them to remain unfazed by the cold.

However, the beasts didn't have such magics, it seemed, and so the fairies had discovered that winter was the one season where they could reign as they pleased, so long as they didn't intentionally antagonize the beasts.

But now spring had thawed the last of the ice, and it was all but torture to have to look down on the colorful, flower-laden world below and be unable to touch it for fear of being attacked.

Weiss couldn't remember the last season she'd touched a new flower with her own two hands in.

All they had up in the treetops were the occasional red or yellow leaf amongst the green, but there were no blues or purples like there were in flower petals. She hoped that in her journey to the river today, she might stumble upon one or two.

Weiss roused herself from bed and neatly covered her mattress of moss and feathers with her blanket. She adjusted her flowing white dress and the small sash around her waist. It was painted with blue and purple dye - a natural find amongst the bark of some of the trees combined with leaf coloring and a dash of fairy dust.

They were the colors Weiss longed to see in flowers, so she kept them close to her in whatever way she could.

Her long hair was loose and luscious, like a small cascading waterfall of pure, liquid diamond all down her back. She retrieved a small brush from her humble wooden dresser, the bristles of which were made of small vine thorns. Weiss used it to comb through her silken hair, untangling the little knots that had formed in the night.

Once it was all smooth and flawless, she put the brush aside and picked up a small hair band of sorts. Her mother had made it for her when Weiss had been very young, knowing she'd have bountiful hair.

It was the last thing Weiss had left of her late mother, and so she treasured it dearly. It consisted of woven vines and tiny white flowers, flowers that were as many years old as Weiss herself was.

By wearing the trinket each day, her magics had kept the flowers alive and well, and with them her mother's spirit wreathed around Weiss at every moment.

There was also a necklace she'd made herself with her mother and sister in her younger years, which also consisted of the same white flowers. Weiss' magics worked in much the same way to keep them alive, soft, and smelling pleasant.

Once she was ready, Weiss headed to her window and hopped onto the wooden frame.

On stormy days, she'd use the door that led to the trunk of the tree and the many rooms below. But on such a gorgeous spring morning, it would be a crime not to spread her wings the first chance she got.

So she did just that, unfurling her wings and letting them flatten out to either side. Weiss inhaled a long, slow breath, filling her lungs with the fresh scents of spring leaves and dewdrops.

With a small step, she took off flying through the tree branches, showered through with yellow light.

All around her, fellow fairies were waking as well and venturing out for their morning flights. They would flit down a few dozen feet or yards to greet their avian neighbors. If the mother birds permitted it, they'd allow the fairies to greet their fledglings.

Weiss herself visited a few nests to see how the babies were doing, to listen to the birdsong and enjoy the liveliness of the forested treetops.

But she didn't stray too far from the great oak tree she called home.

After less than half an hour of flitting about and absorbing the splotchy sunlight into her skin and wings, she changed course and doubled back to the oak.

She passed by a few snoozing squirrels and raccoons here and there, checking in on a couple more nests as she did so, until at last she found herself back in her room.

From there, she headed into the larger room a few levels below, where her family gathered for breakfast every morning. She greeted her father and sister and took her seat, which was also constructed of wood and magic.

The morning meal consisted of fruits and berries and small cups of precious water. Drinking her fill, Weiss was reminded of the day ahead she had. She wiped her mouth clean of berry juice on a small napkin of leaf before meeting her father's eyes.

"Daddy," she said. "You do remember what we agreed upon for today, don't you?"

The Fairy King let out a long sigh, as though he'd hoped she would've forgotten.

"Yes, dear. I remember well."

"I'm glad."

"But don't forget," he grunted. "You must accompany a group of fairies with guards, and you must have a bow and arrows in your possession."

"I know, Daddy. I will," Weiss reassured him. "I'm very well-trained in lessons, as you know."

"...That is true," he grunted. "Your marksmanship is second to none."

"There, see?" Weiss smiled kindly, glad that she was able to ease his already-troubled mind. "I'll be just fine, Daddy. Those beasts are probably still thawing out from the winter snow, anyway. They won't bother us today just because I happen to be going down to the river."

The old fairy pondered her reasonable words for a moment, then nodded his head slowly.

"Very well. Then you'll go down with the midday group to fetch water."

"Thank you, Daddy." Weiss glided over to him where he sat and kissed his cheek.

Weiss then went to her sister Winter, who stood up from her seat to embrace her.

"Be careful, Weiss," she whispered. "We're all Daddy's got left, you know."

"I know."

Even though he was the king of all the fairies in these parts of the woods, Weiss and Winter were his only blood-related family.

When the two sisters parted, Weiss hurried to the window. With one final wave over her shoulder, she jumped down and out into the air.

She glided for a moment until she'd reached a particular level of the giant oak tree, then slipped inside another opening. Here was where they stored some handmade weapons, mainly bows and arrows. Weiss had carved and used her own magics on the bow she'd created and only finished just a few days ago.

In the past, fairies had never had a need for such weapons, since they had no natural enemies or reasons to slay animals. But ever since the beasts had arrived, the docile fairies had been forced into battle more than a few times.

Weiss grabbed a handful of arrows first, sliding them carefully down her back and securing them in the sash around her waist. Her ponytail fell perfectly over them, concealing them conveniently.

She then picked up her bow, tested the strength of the string with a flick of her nails, and then slung it over one shoulder.

Satisfied that she was prepared for anything now, she exited the giant tree and headed downward a bit further.

Halfway up the trees was where the beasts' territories ended and the fairies' began. That was where a group of fairies was beginning to gather for their daily trip down to the river. Most of them carried jugs, buckets, or bowls, all objects the fairies had made themselves and cast magic on to make them lightweight and easy to fly with.

Weiss peeled a strip of moss from a nearby tree and tucked it under her arm, intending to soak it with water to carry back up to the treetops.

Upon joining the others, they were all clearly shocked to see that one of the fairy princesses was going to be making such a potentially-dangerous journey. Some of them suggested she stay in the trees, but Weiss politely insisted she tag along.

"I want to see what these beasts are capable of with my own two eyes," she declared. "And if need be, I'm armed and ready for them. I shan't let harm come to any of you."

She was as fierce and highly-trained as any guard of the kingdom, and she could tell that her mere presence here was already serving to ease the minds of some of the fairies intent to make the journey down.

They waited a few minutes for everyone to gather, sitting on tree branches or hovering in midair.

The numbers topped at fifteen for this particular journey, and once everyone was prepared, the guards began leading them down.

"Keep as silent as possible," one warned them. "The beasts have excellent hearing. If they're out of hibernation, we don't want to alert them to our positions. We just want a quiet, peaceful stop at the river."

Even so, Weiss could see clearly how uneasy the fairies became as they descended lower and lower.

The fresh, crisp scents of the warm sunlight were soon fading, and muskier scents like that of fur and soil replaced those of feathers and air.

Fewer rays of the sun reached this far down past the blossoming leaves and foliage, and the fairies became increasingly uneasy in the shadows. Beasts had better vision in the dark, so their lack of wings and inability to fly suited them rather well on the forest floor, cloaked in the undergrowth. The fairies could only see at night by emitting a bit of a glow using their magics, but for now, they needed to focus their magics on flight.

Weiss kept her eyes and ears alert for anything that sounded as big as herself.

The fluttering of birds' wings soon melted into the chittering of squirrels talking. Before very much longer, the ground was in sight, littered with leaves and bushes.

Weiss had once picked berries from those very bushes as a child, but now it was too dangerous to get them from anywhere on the ground.

As the guards kept to the front of the group, Weiss stuck to the back. The others tried to urge her toward the center, where she'd be safest if there were to be an attack. But again, Weiss politely declined the offer and insisted she keep to the back, since she was the only fairy aside from the two guards who had a weapon on her person.

As they proceeded, the world around them grew darker and darker, quieter and quieter as they spiraled lower. It was a difficult task for such a large group to go undetected, and Weiss knew the beasts - if they were active - were likely already stalking them.

There weren't many places along the river for the fairies to go and be unseen. Even after altering the times of day when they visited the water, and switching their positions along the river banks, the clans of beasts always seemed to be waiting along the shores in ambush.

The fairies had only had a peaceful winter because the beasts had been too cold to attack or move from their dens. But now with the warmer weather upon them, Weiss knew the attacks would begin again before long.

Perhaps a bit sooner than she'd initially anticipated.

Her group descended until their bare feet finally touched the ground. The guards – Weiss included – assessed that everyone was present, and then drew their weapons.

As they advanced forward toward the lake, they kept on high alert, making as little noise as possible. Weiss stuck close to one side of the group, one arrow already in place on her bow as she cast her gaze out and around the forest.

Everything seemed normal. The few rays of sunlight that could cut through this far down were shimmering over the water's surface, and the leaves in the trees were swaying calmly.

But there were no animals to be seen; no squirrels or birds, only the occasional silver belly of a fish beneath the surface of the lake.

The fact that there were no birds present was the biggest indication that something was amiss.

Without speaking, Weiss used visual cues to communicate with the rest of the group, telling them to be quick and cautious with their task.

Once their feet left the grass and began treading on dirt instead, they hurried across the final stretch of earth to meet the water's edge. Quickly, the fairies began filing up their enchanted bowls, jugs, and buckets with water. Weiss, too, put down her bow for an instant in order to dunk her strip of moss beneath the cold water to fill it.

As she was absorbing water into it, she grimaced.

This was ridiculous. Fairies were some of the most powerful species on the planet - respectful and respected.

And here they were, slinking about like prey animals in predator territory – or worse – like thieves.

This was their own forest, one they'd inhabited for centuries. Why should they be forced to sneak around as though they were intruding somewhere forbidden?

It made Weiss' stomach churn, and as she slung the water-laden moss over her shoulder, she picked up her bow and arrow once more.

She stood guard as the others filled their items with water, and Weiss was just beginning to think they would make it off the ground without incident.

A twig snapped.

And just as she whipped around and turned her arrow on the surrounding woods, the bushes came alive.

Out jumped two dozen beasts, all having at least several inches in height on the fairies, and all wielding crudely-forged weapons of stone and stick. Their eyes were covered by masks like those of bandits, with only small slits carved in to see through. Growls and snarls tumbled from their curled lips, their animal ears folded flat, and their tails lashed angrily. They moved in an organized pattern, encircling the fairies in a trap against the river.

Immediately, Weiss pressed her back against the nearest fairy to shield them, taking aim at the feet of the nearest beast. Even if they were enemies, fairies didn't seek to kill unless there were absolutely no other options available to them, and unless their own lives were in danger.

The fairies cried out, and some dropped their water, staining the soil damp as they huddled together behind their guards.

But Weiss didn't take another step back. She set her hard blue eyes on the beasts in front of her and raised only her gaze to meet theirs.

Unlike fairies who lived higher up and absorbed the white light of the sun into their skin, the beasts lived in shade, and thus their skin absorbed the shadows.

Their darker faces were contorted in fury, eyes blazing behind their masks. One of the biggest was a male with red hair and two bull-like horns atop his head, likely sharpened on the truck of a scarred tree. He wielded a long, sword-like weapon of stone and pointed it directly at Weiss.

"Fairies," he growled. "Give us all of your gems and precious stones, and we'll let you go quietly."

A fearful sweep of murmurs traveled through the fairies, and Weiss listened to their whispers intently. They weren't cowards – fairies could fight and defend themselves with their magics if not their own weapons.

But when confronted and ambushed so barbarically, they were very shy and timid creatures.

However, Weiss was the daughter of the king himself, and she raised her voice steadily to the army of beasts.

"We decline," she said. "You've stolen enough of our gems and magic in the past seasons since you've invaded our forests. You'll not take any more of them."

The boy with the bull horns snarled again and took a threatening step forward.

"Then you're asking for a fight. Prepare yourselves, fairies."

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A/N: Shorter chapters might accomplish fewer things than longer ones, but I feel the way chapters cut off can add more anticipation for more (especially with ones like this chapter).