Underneath The Shattered Moon [RWBY X OC]

Chapter 6

The Emerald Forest canopy stretched above, dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. A black bird, magnificent in its slow flight, gave a final, mournful shriek as Ruby, a blur of red, crashed through it, feathers scattering in her wake.

"Birdie, no!" she cried, her voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. She fired a few rounds from Crescent Rose, slowing her descent, then transformed the weapon into its scythe form, catching the branch of a tree with its blade. She slid down the trunk, landing with a soft thud, her breath ragged.

Weiss, her silver hair a stark contrast against the green foliage, summoned a snowflake circle beneath her, leaping off it with a graceful arc. She landed lightly, her face unreadable as she surveyed the forest.

Ren, his movements fluid and precise, descended with a spin, using StormFlower's blades to spiral around a large tree trunk. He landed with a quiet thud, brushing off his clothes before looking up.

"Woo-hoo! Yeah! Alley-oop!" Yang's joyous shout echoed through the trees. She soared through the air, using the fiery force of her gauntlets to propel herself further and further north, laughing as she spun and crashed through leaves, leaping off trunks with a reckless abandon.

Aebelle flew backwards, her katana transforming into a pistol that propelled her forward with a powerful blast.

"Nailed it!" Yang declared, her voice ringing with exhilaration as she continued her flight.

Pyrrha, her weapon in sword form and shield held firm, crashed through several trees, rolling onto a branch. She immediately shifted her blade into a rifle, aiming through the scope at a screaming Jaune who plummeted towards the forest floor. With a calm efficiency, she transformed her weapon again, this time into a spear, evaluating the throw before launching the javelin with a powerful thrust. A resounding "THUNK!" echoed through the woods.

"Thank you!" Jaune called out, his voice filled with relief.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha shouted back, a slight smile playing on her lips as she waved.

Aebelle landed gracefully, skating across the forest floor.

"Hmm... let's see... we're here to get the relics, whoever I team up with will be my partner. Ah! This is difficult! No one told me about this!"

Ruby landed in a crouch, her heart pounding in her chest. She started to run, a single mantra repeating in her mind.

"Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang... " she whispered, her voice growing louder as she ran. "Yang! Yaaaang!"

Her thoughts raced, picturing herself partnered with various people.

"Oh, this is bad, this is really bad... What if I can't find her? What if someone finds her first? Well, there's always Jaune. He's nice. He's funny! ...I don't think he's very good in a fight, though. Ooh! What about Blake?! So mysterious, so calm... Plus she likes books! Then again, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her. Wait what about Aebelle? She was really nice. She stood up for me against Weiss. Ugh!" She shook her head, trying to banish the daydreams. "Okay... Who else do I know in this school? There's Yang, Jaune, Blake, Aebelle, and..."

Time seemed to slow down as Ruby skids to a halt, finding herself face to face with Weiss. Their eyes met, a pregnant silence hanging between them. Weiss turned on her heel, walking away without a word.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Ruby called out, chasing after her for a few steps before stopping, kicking the ground in frustration. "We're supposed to be teammates..."

Weiss struggled through the undergrowth, her face set in a determined frown. A muttered "Ow!" escaped her lips as she pushed past a particularly thorny bush. She brushed herself off and sighed in relief, hearing a familiar voice above her.

"Come on, come on! Stupid..." Jaune's voice, tinged with frustration, echoed through the trees.

Weiss looked up and saw Jaune hanging a few feet in the air, his hood caught on a spear embedded in a tree. As he struggled to free himself, he looked down and saw Weiss, giving an embarrassed wave. Weiss, without a word, turned back in the direction she had come from, leaving Jaune in his predicament.

"By no means does this make us friends," Weiss said, pulling her hood over her head as she passed Ruby, dragging her into the bushes.

"You came back!" Ruby exclaimed, her voice filled with delight.

Jaune, watching the two disappear, waved his arms frantically. "Wait! Come back! Who's going to get me down from here?!"

Pyrrha, standing below, appeared from behind a tree. "Jaune?" Jaune looked down at his savior. "Do you... have any spots left on your team?"

Jaune crossed his arms, a playful smirk on his face. "Very funny..." but then his gaze softened as he looked at Pyrrha, a smile spreading across his face. Pyrrha returned the smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

The forest air hung heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth, the only sounds the rustle of leaves and the echoing crunch of Weiss's boots on the forest floor. Her pale face was pinched with frustration, her silver eyes narrowed as she trudged forward, her mission hanging over her like a storm cloud.

"What's the hurry?" Ruby's voice, light and carefree, drifted behind her.

Weiss whirled around, her frustration momentarily forgotten. "I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow! I swear, if I get a bad grade because of your—" She stopped mid-sentence, her words swallowed by surprise. A smile as bright as the sun itself was beaming at her, and Ruby was now standing beside her, as if she'd teleported.

"I'm not slow, see?" Ruby chirped, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You don't have to worry about me!"

Weiss blinked, her gaze flitting back to the spot where Ruby had been moments before. "When did... ?"

"Weiss, just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters!" Ruby threw an arm around Weiss's shoulders, her grin widening. "You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over, you're going to be like, 'Wow! That Ruby girl is really, really cool... (her voice shrunk to a whisper) and I wanna be her friend!'"

Before Weiss could even process Ruby's words, she disappeared in a cloud of rose petals, the scent of which lingered in the air.

Weiss waved the petals away from her face, her eyebrows furrowed. "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!"

Silence followed, broken only by the crackling of twigs and the rustle of unseen creatures in the undergrowth. "Ruby?" she called out, her voice a tight whisper. "Ruby?"

The forest seemed to grow darker, the shadows lengthening, forcing Weiss to strain her eyes to see through the gloom. She felt a prickle of unease, a sense of something…watching. Her eyes darted to a pair of glowing red orbs, peering at her from behind a cluster of bushes.

"Ruby...?"

The camera panned around Weiss, capturing the numerous pairs of red eyes that stared at her from the shadows, their glow like embers in the dying light. A deep growl rumbled through the trees, sending shivers down her spine. She spun around, her heart pounding, and her gaze fell on a massive, jagged Beowolf, its fangs bared, emerging from the bushes, its eyes fixated on her.

"Ruby!" she screamed, her voice laced with fear and urgency.

The Beowolf roared, its sound echoing through the forest, a primal challenge that sent a wave of dread washing over Weiss.