Rwby: Child of Grimm: Volume 4

Chapter 14: On Thin Ice.

At the same time as Ryu and the others are fighting against Viper, Gwenn and Rouge are making their way across the sandy landscape of central Menagerie. The two slowly continue their trek across the desert, wary of the dangers that have already presented themselves. Dangers such as king taijitu and groups of death stalkers erupting from beneath the dunes.

[Gwenn] "I can see why some of the Faunus feel like they've been ripped off."
[Rouge] "really? I think this place is great."

Gwenn looks back at the dehydrated red head with a raised eyebrow.

[Gwenn] "please tell me you're being sarcastic."
[Rouge] "what gave me away?"
[Gwenn] "You look like crap."
[Rouge] "Wow, getting feisty."
[Gwenn] "Shut up. You said you knew where my brother is, but we've been walking for ages with nothing in sight."
[Rouge] "That's the point."

Rouge's smug grin causes Gwenn to become confused, wondering just what it is that her temporary travel partner has planned.

[Gwenn] "what are you talking about?"
[Rouge] "you'll see~, now come closer and cool me down."
[Gwenn] "Screw you."

Rouge clicks her tongue in annoyance but decides to heed Gwenn's implied warning and keeps her distance. By the time night has arrived, the two have had enough walking. Exhausted and ready for sleep, both girls fall to the ground.

[Rouge] "It's...your turn...to keep watch..."
[Gwenn] "...fine."
[Rouge] "what...? No argument...?"
[Gwenn] "Too exhausted..."
[Rouge] "Then don't mind me..."

Almost immediately, the crimson haired fox girl rolls to her side and falls into a deep slumber without hesitation, leaving Gwenn to sit up and keep watch on their surroundings. With the thoughts of her brother and Mirrors wellbeing weighing on her mind, she struggles to stay focused. By midnight, the tremors begin. For multiple days now, constant tremors have been present throughout the night and stopping at the break of dawn, giving the pair two theories. The first, is that the sudden cooling and heating of the area is causing the earth beneath the sand to expand and contract, which is incredibly unlikely. The second, and more likely, though much more terrifying, is that there is something alive moving around beneath the surface. The most likely culprit being a Grimm.

The rumbling continues for another hour, and as Gwenn's focus hits an all time low, the tremors get louder. The earth beneath them shakes so much that it awakens the sleeping Faunus who wonders what could possibly be happening. The next moment, her eyes widen and her legs move by themselves, tackling Gwenn off of the quickly disappearing sand as a giant, circular mouth filled with deadly teeth spinning like a circular saw erupts from beneath the collapsing earth, revealing a massive Grimm approximately twice the size of a sea dragon in width and length. The girl is unable to determine the creatures full length as the remainder of its body still sits beneath the sand.

[Rouge] "What are you doing!?"

Rouge shouts in Gwenn's face as she shakes her wildly, trying to bring her attention back to the crisis at hand.

[Gwenn] "Wha-what? What is that!?"

The two leap out of the way once more as the giant worm Grimm dives at them, carving its way back beneath the ground as it does so.

[Rouge] "Well it's not a puppy! Get ready to fight!"
[Gwenn] "Fight!? Are you serious!?"
[Rouge] "You think you can run from that!? Be my guest!"