(RWBY) castles that tower above the horizon

chapter ILII: the mysterious crunch

"Faster beast!" I shouted trying not to let the constant pounding of his hooves get to me as he quickly menovered himself up a rocky outcrop surrounded and shaped by the multitude of exotic trees. I cried out when the large animal had half the mind to leap into the air valting over a broken tree trunk before continuing on the overgrown path. "Beast!" I shouted again hearing his rugged breath, feeling him speed up once again. And then I felt something grab at my hood holding me up like a wayward kitten as I struggled wiggling about "aww" I pouted watching my horse slow before trotting back to where my stepmother was standing a portal roaring open next to her.

"Don't forget who's carrying all our kit, now come on" she sighed helping me back up onto beast who had bed rolls, my bag and a tent strapped onto his back. "Now pup, come on, I'll race you" she said opening another portal as I quickly travelled back the way I came, spending a few minutes to find the clearing where my team and biological farther and... aunt where, is my stepmother technically my aunt? Who knows.

"Hello pup" Weiss greeted with a smile, rubbing Beast's nose as everyone worked to pull off the stuff that was loaded on his back, I smiled at the white haired girl before holding my arms out for her to then help me off Beast's back. But I shivered in disgust when my paws sunk into the wet mud squishing around my toes, my fur fluffed up as the shiver travelled all the way down from the base of my neck to the end of my tail, reminding me why I was on beast in the first place. I'm so glad my prostectic is water proof now. "How was your adventure?" Weiss asked putting down one of her bags on a tree stump while I awkwardly preformed the very disgusting task of walking through wet mud.

"Muddy" I whined making her smile watching as I formed a face of absoult disgust, feeling the chunky wet paste smushed and move inbetween my pads, the webbing didn't help what so ever, nor did the fur, it just made more mud stick to my legs and turn my ankles a weird brown. "Carry me?" I asked trying to get myself out of the small slippery spot I got myself in.

"Fine just try not to-" almost as soon as she said that I flung myself at her getting paw prints all over her jacket "-get mud on my jacket" she sighed bringing up her arms to hold me "pesky pup" she muttered pressing her lips lightly against my cheek while I clutched onto her for dear life, my tail waged before I rubbed my nose against her own cheek making her smile. "Thank you, I love you too" she muttered into my ear perching on the same stump she put her bag on while she petted my back settling me onto her lap and making sure no more mud from my paws got anywhere.

"Weiss are you going to help..." My sister said watching for a second as my girlfriend glares at her, I growled to her lowly snarling at her while Weiss growled in her own way, she growled with her eyes. "...never mind" Yang just said backing off.

"Leave them be, if they want to sit around and make out let them" my stepmother then but in "Ruby did carry most of our kit for this" she smirked patting Beast who huffed "kinda upset I won't get to teach you all how to make a shelter out of leaves and vines, but a least we get to sleep in a sleeping bag on a mat"

"My back thanks you!" Qrow shouted from the distance, I smiled and snuggled up to Weiss' shoulder for, the platinum haired girl just continued her soft petting sending me into a sate of bliss while doing so. And Weiss seemed to be very happy with her accomplishment, then again it's less of a accomplishment since all you need to do is rub my stomach for a little while and you would get a similar result. But as I curled up and rested on her shoulder she started to smile a bright happy smile that made me feel all the better.

And then Blake had to come and ruin it.

Weiss was suddenly pulled away from me for a actual issue that only she could solve with glyphs. But she didn't go without carefully setting me on a resting Beast's back, the horse barely moved a inch just opening a eye to look at me before going back to his rest talking about rest, I might aswell join him.