The Wolf, The Lion, and The Dragon - (Vol.6)

Ch.6 Alone in the Woods

3rd Pov

Ruby stares at the broken remnants of the moon through a window as she sits on the staircase. Snow is drizzling outside.

Ruby checks on Blake, Weiss, and Yang, who are sitting on the rug and staring at the fire from the fireplace. As Brisa, Cyra, Josh, Owen and Razor were asleep while Raiden was in his bird form leaning on the windowsill. Ruby gets up from the stairs and walks over to her uncle, who was sitting near the window, his feet propped up on the windowsill.

Qrow: "Storm's cleared up for now. We should be able to leave by morning."

Ruby: "That's good."

Ruby nodded at this, but Qrow shook his head.

Qrow: "No... I don't have a good feeling about this place, especially with me around..."

Ruby looks down at a wine bottle on the floor with Qrow's hand hovering near it, then looks at him.

Ruby: "Are you... okay?"

Qrow: "Sure. Tell everyone to get some sleep. I'll wake you guys up just before sunrise."

Ruby walks away as Qrow drinks from the wine bottle. Ruby pauses and looks back at him before narrowing her eyes downward, completely worried about her uncle's tendency to drink.

Back in the other room, the fire continues to burn. The book Maria is reading has a "III" on the cover, with the other two volumes on a nearby table.

Oscar: "It's a diary?"

Oscar asked, eyeing on the book Maria was holding.

Maria: "The head of this household, Bartleby. Apparently, he and several other families founded this little settlement to try and live on their own. It sounds like it worked, at least for a spell."

Oscar: "Grimm?"

Maria: "Just one of many hardships. Slowed down their farming, made everything harder... It's a shame, really. He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow, always thinking of new schemes to overcome the odds."

Ruby is then seen walking back into the living room.

Ruby: "Hey guys. Qrow said we should get some sleep. We're gonna head out early tomorrow."

Blake: "Thank goodness. I mean look at the others already asleep."

Blake sighed in relief as everyone gets up to get ready to sleep and also looked at the others sleeping. Maria hops off the couch. Maria, on the other hand....

Maria: "Hmph, the last thing you'll catch me doing is letting some kid tell me what to do."

The old lady huffed in annoyance before mimicking Ruby's voice and scoffed.

Maria: "Go to bed!"

Maria sits on an armchair, turns on the lamp next to it and continues reading from the book.

Ruby shrugs and smiles before going to sleep herself. The fire continues to burn in the fireplace.

By the next morning, the fire is out. Sunlight seeps through the curtained window while Team RWBY, LADR, Owen, Razor and Oscar sleep on the floor.

Maria rests on the armchair, still holding the book she was reading.

Qrow sleeps on the chair by the window, still barely grasping the wine bottle in his hand. A couple of other wine bottles are also on the floor. The bottle slips from his hand and clatters on the floor, causing Ruby to wake with a start.

She looks around before rubbing her eyes and getting on her feet. She walks over to the window and opens the curtains.

Weiss: "Close the window!"