Pawprints (ch9)

2-DAY EARLY RELASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

All of your reviews show that you all know it has to go down eventually - and you're all correct.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 9. The Confrontation

Weiss felt better when she woke the next morning.

Perhaps it was because Blake was curled up around her - that always made her feel better. Perhaps it was the calmness of the early morning, misty colors seeping into the cave, indicating a slight drizzle. Perhaps it was the fire keeping her back warm-

-or perhaps it was the fact that she hadn't had a single nightmare.

She felt liberated after having confessed her past crimes to Blake, an the Panther girl had forgiven her, accepted Weiss for everything she was, accepted her flaws and her crimes.

She loved Blake so much.

Weiss squeezed the girl's midsection, brushing her nose into the top of Blake's shirt collar, holding a long kiss to her chest as she continued to sleep peacefully.

. . .

The first thing Blake felt when she awoke was the closeness of Weiss.

She kept her eyes closed and breathed evenly. The other girl's arms tightened around her waist in a tight hug, a kiss pressed to her chest. Blake began to purr.

She loved Weiss. She didn't see Blake as a Panther; she saw her as a person, and she loved Blake for who she was.

Blake tightened her hold on Weiss and turned them so she was above her, looking down on the white-haired girl.

"Good morning, my little Huntress," Blake teased, kissing Weiss' nose. Blake's hands were on either side of Weiss' head as she straddled the smaller girl. "I think I'm a little hungry this morning," she whispered before leaning down to kiss Weiss. She was happy that she could live her life with Weiss from now on, happy she was hers and hers alone.

. . .

A surprised but not-at-all-protesting squeak left her lips as she was flipped over onto her back. The soft moss beneath supported her comfortably, and Blake's weight pressed snugly into her. She loved this closeness, the proof that nothing could ever come between them.

When Blake leaned in for another kiss, Weiss happily obliged, staying still as the Panther girl braced herself over her. Even with her eyes closed, Weiss could imagine Blake's tail flicking to and fro, ears perked tall. Their hearts pounded quickly against each other's, and Weiss did her best to hold out longer.

When they finally parted, she hugged Blake's shoulders, letting her rest her head on her chest as they both regained their breath.

"I could get used to this…" the Huntress murmured.

A few moments later, growling stomachs alerted them to the leftovers from last night that had been covered by leaves to keep as fresh as possible.

"Come on, we should get up an eat," Weiss said, patting the girl's shoulder.

. . .

Blake sat up, pulling Weiss up with her so she could hold the girl a little longer.

"I'll get the food," Blake said, kissing her on the cheek before standing up and walking over to the leftover meat. Grabbing a handful, Blake turned around and sat down next to her partner, holding the food between them.

"How did you sleep?" Blake asked, popping a piece of meat into her mouth after she spoke.

. . .

She nodded her thanks, accepting the food from Blake before she started to roast it over the small fire.

"I slept… wonderfully. I've never felt so refreshed, and I've slept on an actual bed before." She leaned into Blake's side as she started to nibble her food. "I know it's because of what I told you last night. Thank you… for forgiving me."

She slipped an arm around Blake's waist, rubbing gently as they continued to eat. Whenever the Panther girl's tail came within range, Weiss curled her fingers over the tip, smoothing the fur.

Once they'd finished, Weiss stood and stretched a bit, going over to her bag to retrieve one of her machetes that she planned to sharpen on the boulders down by the stream. She clipped on her hunter's belt and slipped it into place before picking up the basket she had crafted the day before.

"Let's head down to the stream. We can get some more moss along the way as well."

. . .

Blake stood and stretched, her arms reaching as high as they could as she heard and felt a satisfying pop in her back.

"Do you want me to carry you?" she asked, walking to stand next to her partner. She leaned down to kiss Weiss, wishing they could stay like this all day, but she knew they had things to do.

. . .

Once Weiss had finished preparing everything, she considered the question. She looked back outside, noting how the forest was still misty, and there was a stuffy scent of rain on the air in addition to the dew from the previous night.

"Maybe it'd be best for you to carry me. I'm not sure how long the weather's going to hold up. Though I suppose when it does rain, that will lessen our mandatory trips to the stream if I can just leave the bucket outside," she considered. "But just to be safe, let's head down there."

She gave Blake a quick peck on the cheek before turning her back to allow her to disrobe.

. . .

She could feel the stillness in the air, and at first it was nice, almost peaceful.

But then the silence stretched and stretched and stretched.

It wasn't natural.

The woods were dead quiet around them.

Blake's ear and tail fur stood on end, and she naturally hunched into a bit of a crouch.

"Hold on..."

Her chest twisted and her ears flicked at the smallest sound - the slight rustling of grass coming toward them. Her lips curled into a snarl.

"Stay there," she hissed, pressing Weiss back behind her.

Not much of Blake's fur was visible in this form, but it was all standing on-end.

. . .

The sudden change of Blake's mood had Weiss stiff and terrified. She obeyed and stepped further back into the cave, not making a sound.

She knew Blake's senses and instincts were much keener than Weiss' own, so she was inclined to believe something was wrong. Blake seemed panicked, quite literally being cornered in the cave now.

Weiss put her hand on her machete and squinted through the mist, waiting.

Something was coming.

. . .

Blake had a feeling in her gut what the noise was, but it wasn't until several Panthers appeared from the forest that she knew who it was.

The lead Panther transformed into a horribly familiar person standing opposite her, a faint smile on his face.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Adam growled. "We thought you were dead, Blake." He stepped closer with outstretched arms, somehow making an inviting gesture look extremely uninviting. Raindrops started falling around them, something Blake was grateful for since it would help to mask Weiss' scent.

She took a step back as Adam was about to hug her; Weiss' scent was still heavy on her and he would smell it if he got closer.

"Why did you come here, Adam?"

"Why?" he scoffed. "To bring you back into the pack, of course."

. . .

Weiss tensed when her worst fears came true. A small pack of Panthers was emerging from the surrounding forest, lithe bodies of all different shades and colors. Some sported injuries, likely from the battle with the Hunters several days ago.

Only when an unfamiliar voice sounded was Weiss alerted to the fact that one of them had transformed.

She couldn't see him from her hiding spot, and Blake's black tail flicked in warning, indicating for Weiss to stay back. The Huntress tried to quiet her breathing as she listened to what was being said.

No… They're trying to take her back. Away from me…

Weiss wouldn't allow it. Only if Blake herself wanted to go would Weiss let her. Otherwise, she would fight.

Weiss tightened her grip on the hilt of her machete, waiting, praying its use wouldn't be necessary.

. . .

Blake took another step back from Adam as he spoke; she had no intention of going back to the pack.

The rain started picking up, drumming against the stone and darkening the ground.

"I'm not coming back, Adam."

The reply sent a ripple of confusion through the Panthers, especially Adam. Though his was more rage and disbelief.

"Of course you are. Where else would you go?" His words took on a hard edge as he stepped closer. "Who else would want you?"

Blake could sense Weiss tensing behind her and she just prayed that the other girl wouldn't come out.

"I'm not coming with you, Adam. I have my reasons," Blake replied evenly, her posture not giving away the tension she felt coiling her muscles.

Adam ignored her words and quickly grabbed her wrist, yanking with all his strength.

"I am the leader of this pack. You listen to my orders. You're coming back Blake, whether you like it or not."

. . .

Weiss was fuming at what this man said:

"Who else would want you?"

She almost revealed herself then, but by some miracle managed to hold herself back, staying hidden, believing this could all be resolved reasonably if the man could respect Blake's wishes.

But the second she saw Blake's body being jerked forward, heard the girl yelp, and heard the man's condescending and commanding voice that didn't allow room for arguments, the Huntress snapped.

She knew Blake could transform and likely defend herself, but not against an entire pack if they were ordered to attack.

She sheathed her machete, not wanting to start a fight unless need be, before she emerged from her hiding spot. Her eyes met with the male Panther's baffled ones, mist-blue threatening and bubbling with subtle fury.

"Let go of her," Weiss growled. "Let go of her right now."

. . .

Adam was stunned by the sudden appearance of the white-haired girl; he had been under the assumption that Blake was alone.

Taking advantage of his confusion, Blake yanked her arm away from him, backing up to stand next to Weiss.

The Panthers looked from Blake to Weiss and back again, understanding slowly dawning on them.

Adam sneered at the sight of the Huntress, noting how they each stood posed to protect the other. He laughed, low and thick, shaking his head.

"Now what is this?" he grunted. "A Huntress, Blake? I always knew you were stupid, but this...? I hope you're just fattening her up so you can make a meal of her later and share with the pack." He gave her the chance to accept the suggestion and save herself, but she didn't. Adam just laughed again. "So then... is this girl the reason you aren't coming back?" He sneered at Weiss, fangs bared.

"Yes," Blake replied simply, taking a step in front of Weiss should it come to violence. "Just leave now, Adam. If you come any closer, it won't end well."

. . .

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief when Blake freed herself from his grasp and returned to her side. But the Panther girl's ears were flattened, tail lashing, indicating there was still a great threat at hand.

Weiss quickly realized this wasn't just any pack, but Blake's old pack; the pack she had abandoned and feigned death to in order to be with Weiss. And they clearly didn't take betrayal sitting down.

The Huntress met the man's - Adam's - eyes, cold and dark and seething with rage, directed both at Blake and herself. His ears were also back, tail erect and bristling. Weiss almost took Blake's hand as a quiet display of reassurance, but she realized such an act could fuel the other Panthers' anger.

Instead, she held Adam's gaze. "Please," Weiss drew her machete and quickly dropped it as a sign of peace. "Let us be. We're not going to interfere with your lives anymore. I've given up my life of hunting - for Blake. Let us be."

. . .

Blake could see Adam soften slightly at Weiss' show of peace, and for a brief fleeting moment she thought he might leave them.

But that hope was dashed when he stepped forward and spit on Weiss' machete.

"You think I'll leave a traitor and a killer to live out their delusions in peace?" he taunted, fur bristling.

Blake took a step back.

"Adam, please- If we were ever friends, you'll let us leave in peace."

Blake tried to plead, hoping that somewhere deep down her old friend would listen to her.

He spent a long moment before replying.

"I can't do that, Blake. Not when you're a traitor to our people," he jeered. "So does she have a leash for you? Or are you a good tamed animal? Your fur sure looks nice and clean. Are you sure she isn't just pampering you so she can kill you in your sleep?"

Blake snarled furiously as she jumped at him, transforming in midair. She crashed into him in her panther form, her full weight pinning him to the ground with jaws mere inches above his throat.

. . .

Weiss hissed at Adam's words, but before she could retort, Blake had already shifted forms and launched herself at him. She bowled him over easily, covering his body with hers, fangs at his throat, and Weiss knew it was only a matter of time before-

With a snarl, her fears became reality as Adam morphed as well, fighting back against Blake. The other Panthers watched on, eager, waiting for a cue to attack as well. But for now, this seemed to be a one-on-one match, which was good for Blake, considering fighting just Adam was better than twenty of them.

But Weiss couldn't forgive what she'd heard.

She grabbed her machete, and without a shred of hesitation, ran toward the two massive, thrashing cats. She ducked out of the way of one of Blake's aimed swipes and also managed to avoid Adam's jaws.

The next second, Adam's claws scored her right arm, knocking her back into Blake. She heard the distressed whine from her partner, but Weiss was empowered by adrenaline and rage. With her smaller form, she dove between them, preventing a blow Adam had intended for Blake's face as Weiss thrust her knife toward his chest.

She didn't make contact, but it stopped his assault in time to let Blake get her bearings back. Weiss knew Adam could attack her right now if he wanted to, snap her arm or neck with ease, but she needed to say something first.

"You…" she panted. "You of all people called her an animal. If that's all she is to you - in your eyes - you'd best get out of my sight right now."

Her eyes challenged him to fight back and attack her; although she'd sworn never to kill again, she wouldn't mind drawing some blood from him.

. . .

Adam was about to strike when Weiss dove between them and stopped him, holding a knife to his chest.

Disoriented, Blake listened to Weiss' words, and she could see Adam take a second to think about them. She saw his muscles tense right as he was about to attack.

Getting to her paws, she jumped in his way. His claws scored down her shoulder, but she was fueled by a need to protect Weiss. She barreled him over and quickly placed a paw on top of him.

She lowered her head with a growl, her jaws just inches from his throat, poised to clamp shut.

She could do it. She could.

But she didn't.

A silent message passed between them as she pulled away and turned back to Weiss, transforming.

"Goodbye, Adam."

. . .

Weiss was hardly surprised when Adam moved to attack her anyway, and the huntress braced herself, prepared to fight him tooth and nail.

But Blake intercepted the blow, taking it for herself, blood welling at her shoulder and Weiss whimpered, knowing Blake wouldn't let her help heal it for fear she would turn. But her companion bested Adam despite the pain, throwing him onto his back and planting her paw on his throat.

The Panthers watching fell silent, drinking in the sight; a clear display of Blake's dominance and superiority over their leader as he lay helpless and at her mercy.

And all because she loved Weiss.

The white-haired Huntress sobbed with relief when Blake got off of him; the rest of them had seen who the winner of this battle was, and if Adam attacked again now, it would be a cowardly, pathetic move on his part. Some of the other cats might even have intercepted him.

Weiss kept her eyes on him to make sure he didn't plan to move again until Blake reached her. The Huntress brought her hands quickly to Blake's face and kissed her, mumbling apologies as her palms slid down to cover the bleeding wound at Blake's shoulder, forcing herself not to use her aura on the other girl and keeping it for only her own wound.

. . .

Blake smiled when Weiss cupped her cheeks and kissed her, both happy that the other was alive. She grimaced slightly when Weiss touched the wound at her shoulder; she was glad that Weiss didn't use any aura to heal it, though.

Kissing Weiss back with fervor, Blake put an arm around Weiss' shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?"

Weiss nodded and Blake wrapped her tail around Weiss' waist, and an arm around her shoulder.

It was clear that the other Panthers weren't going to attack, and Adam got slowly to his paws, visibly mortified at being bested.

The other cats had already started to slink off through the trees, having seen all they needed to see.

Blake flicked her tail and turned away from them.

"Are you okay to walk? I can carry you if you need," she offered.

. . .

When Weiss next turned around, Adam was gone. A bit of blood smeared the ground, reminding Weiss of hers and Blake's injuries. They were both drenched now from the rain, and it cleaned their wounds of leaking blood, but it would still be best to get back to the cave and rest now.

"I'll be fine," Weiss murmured. "Let's walk."

With her free hand, she took Blake's, and they slowly began making their way back into the cave. It was so quiet again, almost as if the fight just now hadn't even occurred, the only evidence being the traces of blood.

Weiss moved at a brisk pace, constantly looking to Blake to make sure the glow of her aura was healing her shoulder.

"So… what now? You're… you're probably banished, and even if something happened to me and you tried to go back, they wouldn't accept you…" Her voice wavered and she looked to the ground.

. . .

"I made my decision, and I don't regret a single second of it," Blake replied. "It doesn't matter if I'm banished. I have you, and nothing is going to happen to us. Only death will take me from you."

And she meant it.

"I wasn't happy with the direction the pack was going, anyway. We started peacefully, but in recent weeks they became more violent and ready to fight back against the Hunters. I didn't want that...

"I will always be happy that I met you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

A kiss to Weiss' lips emphasized her point.

Once they were in the shelter of their cave, Blake noticed Weiss was shivering.

"If you change your clothes, I'll transform to keep you warm," she murmured. "And don't worry, my wound is fine."

. . .

Weiss stumbled to her bag. She stripped and forced herself into her clean outfit, unable to suppress the shudders that raked her body. Her aura lapped at the scratch marks on her arm that were almost fully healed by now.

Taking the blanket with her, she limped back to Blake. Their fire somehow having stayed alive, Weiss tossed a few spare sticks onto it. She then went to Blake while she was still in human form and kissed her again, holding her breath.

When she pulled back, she checked Blake's wound again anyway, but was satisfied to see it really was healing on its own.

. . .

As Weiss was changing, Blake saw the wound on her arm and wished she could use her aura to help heal it.

The other girl came back with the blanket, throwing more sticks on the fire to keep it going. The kiss she placed on Blake's lips was soft and loving; the Panther girl returned it with as much feeling as she could put into it.

Quietly, Blake pulled away, and while Weiss laid the blanket out, she transformed into a panther once more. She curled up on the blanket, leaving space for Weiss to lay against her side. The white-haired girl fit perfectly in the space between her front and back leg.

When she was comfortable, Blake covered her with her tail. She started purring at having Weiss close again. Licking the girl's face, Blake rested her head on Weiss' lap.

. . .

The heiress settled against the panther's flank, bringing the ends of the blanket up to cover Blake and herself as much as possible. She traced her hands gently over the matted fur of Blake's shoulder, relieved to find that most of the blood was drying now.

This was all so familiar, and Weiss wondered how many more times they would get to live this kind of scene.

But winter was coming. While hunting a deer or even just birds and rabbits could keep them both fed for a few days at a time, finding food wasn't exactly the biggest issue. While Blake might be fine in her panther form to keep herself heated, Weiss wasn't so certain she could survive strings of cold nights if there were ever a blizzard to trap them inside; even with Blake around her and a fire at her side, there were limits as to how much a human's body could take.

Weiss knew they would need to figure something out before long. Perhaps they could leave the forest and run away somewhere, start a new life. If they could just find a house somewhere, an abandoned shack where Blake wouldn't need to hide her cat form, where Weiss wouldn't be recognized by people…

It was all too much to think about right now, and Weiss was exhausted. She clung to Blake's fur until she stopped shivering, and her breath became slow and deep.

. . .

Bake curled around Weiss as tightly as she could, wanting to warm and comfort her partner. The air was chilled more than usual, and Blake knew they would need to find a better shelter eventually.

That could wait for another day though; right now, they had each other, and that's what mattered.

Blake could feel Weiss clinging to her fur, her shivers slowly reducing until the white-haired girl fell asleep.

Blake listened to the Huntress' deep breathing for several minutes - it was a reassurance that Weiss was all right.

Eventually though, she could feel the exhaustion from her fight and the dreary weather making her tired. She yawned and gave Weiss' face a gentle lick, her way of kissing the sleeping girl goodnight while in this form.

Resting her head back down on Weiss' lap, Blake started to drift off to sleep.

. . .

. . .

After the battle several weeks ago, Yang had lost Weiss.

In addition to seeing so many other of her comrades slaughtered before her very eyes in the fights with the cats, she had lost the girl she'd felt most responsible for. The girl who had reminded her of Ruby, and Yang have vowed she would keep her safe.

And she'd failed.

The remaining Hunters in their band had trudged back to town a few days later to deliver the bodies of the fallen to their families. Yang wanted to do at least that much for Weiss, but she'd been taken, hauled off into the forest by that pure-black Panther, never to be seen again. When they'd told Weiss' father, he'd been more enraged than anything, demanding money in compensation for his loss. But he didn't care about Weiss; that much was clear to the blonde girl.

She'd been given a few weeks off to recover from her own injuries, going back home to take care of Ruby. Her sister was always so glad to see Yang, sometimes going so far as to get up from her wheelchair and hug her.

When Yang had to tell her Weiss had been killed, Ruby started to cry, and it broke her heart.

"Don't worry, lil' sis. I'll get revenge. For you and for Weiss. I promise."

And she was going to make well on that promise.

In a few days, she'd be dispatched on another hunt, and she intended to find that pure-black Panther and tear out its throat, watch it bleed out slowly.

Yang was eager to get going.

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A/N: So yes, we actually didn't want Adam to be the main threat in this story...