RWBY: Black Cat

Chapter 14

"It's a small world, but not that small. Sometimes you are meant to run into certain people. Some people only leave your life temporarily."
~ Unknown

Years earlier...

Thunder rumbled overhead. A tall, relatively young girl, a faunus, perhaps in her late teens, raced down an abandoned path, using a large, tan, speckled wing with white undersides to shield herself from the rain. The water slid smoothly off her large, sleek feathers, leaving them completely soaked, dripping with water. She had black hair, in a tight braid, light, whisps of hair framing her face, curled into ringlets by the rain.

She was being hunted by Grimm.

She wasn't completely helpless. There was a weapon slung across her back - a pair of long, black poles, presumably with some sort of blade. It wasn't hard to tell she was a huntress, or at least training to be one - her attire alone gave that away. A big, bulky, bright green scarf made of material similar to hessian was hung around her neck and shoulders, covering her mouth. She had light, black armour on her torso and arms, a small, green design with a pair of crossed broomsticks on her back, simple, black leggings coming to her knee, and black flats. A green triangle sat underneath her right eye, point facing down.

A nevermore and a pack of beowolves were on her tail. She had hoped she could put some distance between herself and them, but no matter how much of her aura she burned through trying to get away, they closed the gap. With no other choice, she spun around to face the hoard of Grimm approaching her, gritting her teeth, green eyes blazing.

She unsheathed the pair of poles, revealing two long staffs with hand grips in the middle. The first beowolf leapt for her, then the second, but she easily spun the two poles, decapitating the pair of them. She launched herself towards the rest of their pack, slicing, ducking and dodging, her movement lightning fast. Blood - some of it her own - sprayed her face and clothes as she hacked at her countless attackers.

Her heart jolted as she heard the pricing screech of the nevermore. While she was distracted, a beowolf landed a hit, digging it's teeth into her right arm, and she gasped with pain, stabbing it's chest. Panic began to push at the edges of her conscience as she continued to fight. How much longer can I keep this up?

She gritted her teeth, tucking her wings closer to her. Deep down, she knew the answer - not much longer. Even if she could get rid of the pack of Grimm on the ground, she couldn't out-fly, out-fight, or out-wit a nevermore on her own. She was hardly 17.

"Hey, faunus kid, duck!"

Then a blinding flash of light pierced the edge of her vision. She darted backwards, out of range of the throng and got down low, wings spread, ready to flee into the air if she needed to. A burst of fire rushed past her, and she gasped at the sudden heat, instantly, but momentarily drying her wet clothes and feathers as it passed. She glanced behind her to see a girl, with long hair, her hand outstretched, burning the Grimm with the intense flame. Once the pack had been eradicated, she directed the fire upward, torching the nevermore, which quickly dissolved.

The faunus blinked, multiple times. "How did you...are you using dust?"

The huntress turned to her, hazel eyes narrowed. She had red hair, that was literally red, bordering on hot pink, rather than ginger, pulled up into a messy high ponytail, and a dark blue leather jacket, one sleeve completely missing, torn off. "Something like that," she said quickly. "What are you doing out here? Don't you belong to a kingdom?"

She swallowed, suddenly intimidated. This person might be more of a danger to her then the Grimm, killing them so easily. "I-I'm trying to get to Vacuo."